He may have lost his place in the side to him this season, but Crystal Palace defender Joel Ward has been full of praise for his rival for the right-back position, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The England U21 international has excelled at right-back for the Eagles this season, being named the players' player of the season and the club's player of the season, as voted for by the fans.
And Ward, who has been restricted to just 12 appearances in all competitions this season, has been magnanimous in his praise for the 21-year-old, who has played 39 times this season in all competitions.
"Aaron (Wan-Bissaka) has been phenomenal," Ward told the club website .
"For Aaron to come in and do what he’s done, he is like a seasoned pro already, not like a young lad who is a little nervy here and there. He has made the position his and it is fantastic what he has done."
Ward has also predicted a bright future for the Eagles after a 12th placed finish, following their 5-3 win against AFC Bournemouth at Selhurst Park yesterday (Sunday).
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And he insists that the Eagles should be looking up, rather than over their shoulders.
"Our away form was fantastic; we tried to replicate that at home, so it was obviously nice yesterday to end on a high and give the fans what they deserve," the former Portsmouth defender said.
"Throughout the season we have played some excellent football and have been unlucky at times to pick up more results that would’ve put us in a better position.
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"Things will only go up, and if there’s that investment, that injection then there’s no reason why we can’t be pushing and looking up above us. Our quality in the changing room in terms of going forward and at the back, we’ve got a lot of strength in depth."
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