Sheyi Ojo: I have much more confidence
Sheyi Ojo feels he is benefiting from increased confidence during his second loan stint in the Championship.
And the Liverpool prospect is out to evidence his progress by adding to his goal tally with Wolverhampton Wanderers as the campaign continues.
The 18-year-old is in the midst of a season-long loan stay at Molineux, his latest taste of Championship football after a short stint with Wigan Athletic last term.
Prior to the international break, Ojo showed his huge potential with a game-changing contribution from the bench in a 3-0 win over Fulham, setting up one goal and scoring another.
The assist came courtesy of a goal-bound cross that Adam Le Fondre headed home to open the scoring, before Ojo's low drive three minutes later put Kenny Jackett's side on their way to victory.
After jokingly insisting that he'd like to claim the first strike as his own, the winger reflected on his progress, telling TheFA.com: “It’s going well and hopefully we can continue to improve and do well over the season.
"I had a loan spell at Wigan at the end of last season and that really helped me. Coming into this season I feel that I’m a lot more mature in the way that I play.
"I have much more confidence and understand the league a bit more. The Championship is a very hard league to play in, but last season helped me a lot.
"I’m really enjoying it at Wolves and just taking each game as it comes and looking to add a few more goals to my name."
Ojo is part of the England U19s squad that will kick off their bid for European Championship qualification with games against Macedonia, Finland and Italy over the next two weeks.
And he is hoping a strong start can help build confidence for Aidy Boothroyd's side as they plot a course for Germany in 2016.
"Everyone is looking forward to the campaign and we feel we have a strong team," Ojo said.
"There’s loads of other players who have not even been picked that will probably feel they deserve to be here too, and with that competition we all believe that we can go far in the competition.
"It’s going to be a tough group. Macedonia will be a tough test and we have to be ready for the threat they will pose.
"We know how important it is to start with a win in tournament football. That’s the main aim for everyone, to get that winning mentality from the off, it gives you the confidence leading into the next game and hopefully we can get the points and take that into the Finland match."
The former MK Dons starlet is also setting his sights on making a telling individual contribution over the course of those three fixtures.
"Every time I get picked for England it is an honour and I just want to do well in every appearance I make," he continued.
"I was lucky enough to play quite a bit last season for the U18s and perform well.
"Last month we played Germany and Croatia and I got another goal in them, so now my target is to try to keep that going at this age group and keep progressing.
"As a forward I like to get on the ball, create things and run at players. Scoring and creating goals is something I enjoy.
"So obviously for me, getting the ball and making an impact like that is my main aim and hopefully I can do that throughout this week."