Ethan Laird and Matej Kovar have been revealing how their respective loan moves have helped them grow as players. Kovar spent time at Burton Albion last season, while Laird started the campaign with Swansea before switching to Bournemouth in January. The latter has impressed in pre-season, with Manchester United not yet adding a right-back to their ranks. Both players have opened up on how their loan spells have benefitted them and how they still believe they can make a name for themselves at Old Trafford.
Ethan Laird said: “At Swansea I knew some of the players already, some of the ‘legends’ you can say were literally just retired. We had Wayne Routledge – literally just retired. Nathan Dyer – literally just retired. So obviously, Nath, I spoke to Nath and he helped me. Some of the players there are exceptional. The captain, Matt Grimes, technical, but there’s so many players but you just take it in from what they do on the ball, so that was a bit different for me, just watching them and then you realise ‘oh, I need to do the same to do that.’ While I was at Bournemouth, there was a lot more, you could say like experienced pros there. Players who had been in the Premier League, came down, Premier League, been back. Gary Cahill, for example, he was there. And I remember just soaking up everything he said. Champions League winner, England international, like, crazy. So I remember whenever he talked it was like *whoosh* and I just took in everything. Any little tips he gave me on the pitch, any little encouragement, any criticism. I took it all in. But I feel like, in that sense I feel that Bournemouth I learnt quite a lot.”
Matej Kovar said: “For me, probably the biggest experience I had was in Swindon, because obviously things really didn’t go well, also for my way but also for the club’s way, because at that time there was Covid as well… So I remember we had Covid in the team, obviously the manager afterwards left, and then we keep losing. We lost I think six games on the bounce, we had a bad goal difference as well. I think we had negative about 15 goals and that kind of doesn’t help. And also as a group, as a team, obviously in football it’s about winning games and, yeah, like I said, that time was kind of hard, but obviously when I came back I kind of realised it was a learning curve. The next year I went on loan to Burton. I was kind of more ready, I knew what is going to be like, how they’re going to behave to you as well so, like I say, I felt more ready. I’ve obviously been, when I got my chance I took it, and I really enjoyed it as well.”
