Ryan
Bertrand has expressed his delight at playing regularly for Southampton
after becoming frustrated with the way he was treated at Chelsea.
Bertrand is still contracted to Chelsea but has been loaned out to
Southampton for the season and has started off in tremendous form.
He has already been loaned out several times in his career after signing for
Chelsea as a teenager, and has now hinted that he may be considering his
long-term future.
The 25-year-old, who spent the second half of last season with Aston Villa,
believes he received some bad advice about his future during his early days
at Chelsea.
“The situation became clear to me before I went on loan to Aston Villa [in
January]," he said.
"Right from when I was 17, I was getting those 15, 20, 25, 30-plus games a
season until I hit a stumbling block.
“That’s when the alarm bells rang. Before that, I had a chance to move from
the club – because I just want to keep my career moving – but I was advised
I didn’t need to do that.
“It all unravelled in front of my eyes, and certain things didn’t make sense
in terms of what certain people had said to me, all I ask for is honesty,
and I didn’t get that.
“Since I left to go on loan to Villa, it’s been about me again. I’d never
rule anything out, but it’s just been about getting out there and playing
consistently without the thought process of what Chelsea think or whether
I’m going back there.”
Bertrand has been capped by England a couple of times and he is determined
to carry on performing well for Southampton to make sure he stays in the
thoughts of England boss Roy Hodgson.
“I love playing for my country – I’ve done it twice at senior level and
throughout the youth set up,” he said.
“To get that taste of playing for my country was great. There’s nothing
better than playing in front of a full house at Wembley. It’s what every boy
dreams of.
“That’s definitely one ambition. The first was to get into the team here and
to play regularly, so if my performances are of a high enough level then I
don’t see why not.”
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