'You want to do everything' - Wigan Athletic's newest star on meteoric rise
Llyton Chapman has revealed Gary Caldwell's 'faith and trust' in him has allowed him to hit the ground running in his senior career with Wigan Athletic.
The 20-year-old has been thrown in at the deep end since Caldwell's arrival last month.
Indeed, he has played in seven of the eight games since the Scot took charge - including his pro debut at Stockport County.
Chapman has justified that faith - and some - with a string of fine displays that mean he is now in the side on merit.
"The gaffer's shown a lot of trust in me, and that makes you feel better about yourself, it gives you even more confidence in yourself," said Chapman, who joined the Latics Academy in the summer of 2024 after being released by Oldham Athletic.
"You feel like you want to do everything you can to repay that faith on the pitch.
"With him having been a defender himself, he's always giving me tips on how to improve, a different opinion on different situations.
"There's a lot of detail in there, a lot to take on board and learn, but I've been pleased with the way it's been going.
"He's said to me it doesn't matter how old I am or how many games I've played, as a centre-half, it's up to you to be a leader, you're the ones who can see everything in front of you.
"We're all getting to know him, and understanding what he wants from us, and you can see the improvement across the board.
"The other lads have also been great in helping me, both on and off the pitch, I've learned a lot already in a short space of time."
Latics head to play-off-chasing Reading this weekend looking to build on last week's return of seven points from a possible nine, with wins over Bradford City and Exeter City sandwiching a draw at Barnsley.
"It was a great week for us, and we're hoping to keep that going this weekend," Chapman added.
"The mood in the camp is good, it's really positive, there's a lot of belief at the moment. But that doesn't mean the job is done, we need to keep going, keep fighting, and keep working hard until the end of the season to stay in this league."