DeAndre Yedlin

“A lot of people ask me what has been the biggest change with me being in England and a lot of people expect me to say something related to football, but mostly it's just growing up and becoming a man.”

“When I made the decision to go to Europe, a lot of people questioned it. The first six months I was there even I was questioning it, but I think I learned a lot more about myself in that six months than I have my whole life.”

“Obviously, when you're getting games, you're getting confidence as well.”

“I'm fortunate that Newcastle and the fans welcomed me with open arms because I know it's not easy being a former Sunderland player.”

“I couldn't really tell if it was a different childhood because I was used to it, it was kind of normal to me. The only time I remember it felt a bit odd was when I went to other people's houses and they were calling people 'dad.' I wouldn't get that. But my uncle, who also lived with me, was a father figure.”

“I think one of the biggest things is I wasn't spoiled as a kid. I got what I needed. I didn't always get what I wanted. But it's good to have what you need.”

“Before, sometimes if the ball was played over my head I wouldn't know where I was but now I feel a lot more comfortable. Sometimes I would be going forward when it really wasn't the right time to go too, but now I'm picking my moments better.”

“Obviously when you challenge yourself you learn a lot about yourself, and ultimately you're going to get better in whatever field.”

“I've always been fast, it's God-given talent. I just try and use that to my advantage, but I'm learning more and more positionally so I don't have to rely on my pace so much.”

“I've played both right-back and right wing, I can't really say if I am more comfortable in one or the other but both are fun positions for me to play.”

“I think at some point I would like to meet my dad. He's in prison in the U.S. for life, so it's about figuring out where he is stationed and making time to see him.”

“If you get taken out after 20 minutes it's a big blow to you.”

“Billy Jones, positionally, is unbelievable. He's not the fastest guy but he makes up for it by being positionally sound, so I really tried to focus and absorb where he would be in certain situations and just tried to add that in my game.”

“If you're not fully happy doing one thing, you try to do find another thing to take your mind from it.”

“I was raised to always be humble.”

“Every manager has different opinions and all you can do as a player is try to fight and get your spot back, or at least earn your manager's trust back to try and get your spot back. There's no use sulking about it, you just get on with it and try to raise your game to get back to the level you need to be when you were starting.”

“Even when my grandparents compliment me, I don't like when they do that.”

“First and foremost my obligation is on the defensive side. But obviously there are times when I need to go and attack, too.”

“Obviously you have to take it the right way, keep your head down, be humble. But I think if you're in an environment where you're challenging yourself, you're only going to improve. So that's honestly what I tried to do when I went to Europe.”

“Confidence is a funny thing, and sometimes that's all you need is just that little bit to elevate you to the next level.”