Manchester United loanee Ethan Laird has vowed to do all in his power to force his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first team.
Laird, 20, has made an impressive start to life on loan at Swansea City.
He joined the Swans on a season-long loan deal, reuniting himself with Russell Martin, having worked under the head coach at MK Dons last season.
Having already made 14 appearances for the club this term, Laird has quickly become a mainstay on the team sheet, establishing himself as a fans' favourite in the process.
But whilst he's currently focused on life in the Championship, the right wing-back admits he's desperate to become a regular at Old Trafford.
Speaking to Wales Online, he said: "As a young kid I always wanted to play for Manchester United. That’s something I have always aspired to do.
"But you have to realise there are steps to take. Every person’s journey is different and there are things that you need to do to get to where you want to be."
Laird revealed that the club sends loan managers to watch his performances every week - who report back to United, updating the club on his progress.
He said: "We have two loan managers who watch our games every week and contact us in the week at least twice, analysing our game, telling us what we can do better, what we can do well, what we should look forward to in the next game.
“Then the first-team staff will give you a message every now and then, saying well done or good luck for this game, I’ll be watching.
“That’s really nice to have the likes of Darren Fletcher, Kieron McKenna watching you.
“I know that Swansea is a step that’s going to put me in the right direction."
Laird has had his struggles to deal with as he was forced to spend a significant part of the summer in rehabilitation after suffering an injury in MK Dons' final game of the 2020/21 campaign.
This saw him struggle to be involved in United's first team during pre-season.
However, Laird had a conversation with Solskjaer as they agreed to send him on another loan at a higher level.
He said: "It was hard in the summer because the last game at MK, I got injured. It kept me out for the whole of pre-season.
"Because of the Covid situation, I wasn’t really in touch with the first team.
"I came back a couple of weeks before the window closed. They spoke to me. Darren Fletcher spoke to me. I spoke to the coaching staff and Ole as well.
"They just said listen, it’s been unfortunate because you haven’t had a chance to show what you can do because of the injury, but now you have the chance to do it on the main stage.
"I know they are watching me which is nice. Sometimes you feel it’s out of sight, out of mind but they give me messages every now and again. It’s really nice to have the communication."
Laird has previously spoken on how happy he is at Swansea, and hopes to end his loan spell on a high - concentrating on performing to his highest level before returning to United next season.
