Leeds United loanee Charlie Cresswell on recent switch of mindset which has helped him flourish at Millwall

When a young, highly-rated Premier League player heads out on loan it is always with the end goal of developing them – both mentally and technically. The good news for Leeds United is that Charlie Cresswell’s stay with Millwall has ticked both of those boxes.

The 20-year-old centre-back arrived in SE16 with a big reputation, capped by England U21 and having featured five times in the top flight last season.

But while the welcome mat was put out for Cresswell, the battle for a first-team starting spot in Gary Rowett’s side was never going to come without a fight.

An injury to Shaun Hutchinson handed the most recent chance to the prospect at the start of February and he played every minute of their last eight Championship matches, his longest unbroken spell in the side.

In the embroynic stages after swapping Yorkshire for South London, Cresswell’s commendable desire to try and win every loose ball or header maybe worked to his detriment at times.

The player himself admits he has tweaked his approach.

“As a young player coming on loan you want to impress – you want to do well,” Cresswell told the South London Press. “You want to have this career. I really wanted to do well and tried to do well.

“Sometimes people say you can try too hard. People might not understand what that means, how can you try too hard? But you can try too hard and put too much pressure on yourself – build up a lot of fear.

“The thing for me, since the Sunderland game really, is that I’ve really approached the games with a different mindset. I’ve sort of just understood that I can’t control what is going to happen – and surrender to that.

“It’s really allowing me to play with that freedom and play as myself. It’s allowing me to bring out my ability.

“The last few weeks I’ve shown when I step away, when I’m calmer, that I play much better. That’s what I’ve been doing – long may it continue.”

Cresswell has made 26 appearances this season, 24 of those in the league.

So what have been the best and also the most challenging aspects of his first move away from his boyhood club?

“The best part is coming away to a different city and meeting a new group of lads,” said Cresswell. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of lads in that changing room. They are all top, top men and it’s been a pleasure to be with them this season.

“The staff have been brilliant with me and really helped and guided me along.

“I’ve loved every minute. The people in the club is what makes it, really.

“The most challenging part is probably being in and out of the team, sometimes not playing well and getting dropped before coming back into the team. Over the past few weeks I think I’ve tried to sort of change that.

“When you look at it being a first loan, if you had offered me what I’ve had so far then I would probably have taken it.

“You don’t know what to expect when you go on your first loan. It’s all sort of real. I don’t think you can expect anything, really. It was just about finding my feet and adjusting to first-team football, because I’ve been used to academy football all the way through. Getting hands-on with it has been a challenge, but it’s been one I’ve loved.”

Cresswell was the subject of interest from Stoke City in the January transfer window and even recently there has been talk in the Leeds press that his parent club had been prepared to listen to offers at the start of 2024.

Cresswell is under contract for another two years.

“Everyone knows I’m a Leeds fan,” he said. “It’s about focusing on what I can do for Millwall now. The rest will just take care of itself.”

What Cresswell and the Lions will hope is that they are joining their former Championship sparring partners in the Premier League next season.

Millwall have not been in England’s elite division since they were relegated from the old Division One, just before it was rebranded and revitalised by Sky Sports’ serious cash injection as broadcasters, in the summer of 1996.

“It would mean a lot,” said Cresswell, when asked about the magnitude of Millwall finishing in the top six. “That’s been the goal since the start of the season, so if we can pull it through and we can be in the play-offs then I’m sure everyone will be buzzing.

“There’s no hiding from it. Everyone wants to get to the play-offs – it’s not like it’s this swear word in the camp, no. We’re going to do everything we can to try and achieve that.”

Millwall’s recent schedule has been about as tough as it gets. Burnley, Sheffield United and Norwich at The Den with Luton and Coventry away. All are in the top eight, not to mention facing the two in the automatic spots back to back.

The next three are against clubs in the bottom 10, starting with Reading tomorrow.

“Every week is a different challenge,” said Cresswell. “You always say to people that there are no easy games in the Champ – and there really are none. It’s something that has really been highlighted from the experiences I’ve had this season.

“You can look at Burnley, they really pop the ball and make you work. Norwich, at the weekend, did really well against us. But we’ve done really well against the top six to give them a good test.

“People can’t expect us to turn over the Norwichs, Burnleys and Sheffield Uniteds week in and week out. It’s just one of those things (when you don’t get a result).

“It’s been a tough run but we’ve dealt with it well. It’s been a successful month for us and we’ve got 11 games left – it will be a massive push for us from now until the end of the season.”

The Den factor can also come into play, with six of those fixtures taking place there.

There were 18,875 fans at the Norwich match, the biggest league attendance since Millwall moved to the stadium.

Cresswell admits those bumper turnouts add extra edge.

He said: “Me and the lads were talking about it. When you’re on the pitch, and you can hear them getting behind us, it switches the momentum of the game.

“It helps us. It’s a bit like when we go away and that team has good fans or good noise, it affects the game. When we’re at The Den and it is rammed, sold out, it makes a massive difference. It really pushes us along.”