Kieran Trippier has made an instant impression in Spain following his summer transfer to Atletico Madrid from Tottenham.
Tipped to seal a move to either one of Juventus or Napoli with his future in north London in serious doubt, the right-back instead moved to the Spanish capital in July for £20million.
The 28-year-old has caught the eye in his short time in La Liga and he has worked his way back into Gareth Southgate's England squad after missing out on selection for the UEFA Nations League in the summer.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with AFP about his move to Atleti, Trippier opened up on his relationship with Mauricio Pochettino and what they spoke about prior to clinching his move to Diego Simeone's team.
"I have a lot to be grateful to him for," he said.
"At the end we had a great talk about coming here. He spoke very highly of Cholo [Simeone], of Spain and living here in Madrid.
"He wished me nothing but the best. We left on very positive terms."
Pochettino and Simeone know each other very well after both representing Argentina during their playing careers.
With both seen as top coaches in the game, it seems that the latter has already made quite an impression on the right-back.
"I'm working with one of the best coaches in the world," he said. "And Atletico is one of the biggest teams in Europe.
"I'm not taking a step down, I'm taking a step up."
Trippier struggled to hit his best form for the team last campaign after a standout World Cup in Russia for England.
Certainly not one to pull any punches when assessing his own form, the ex-Man City man claimed that he should have missed some games when he was injured rather than playing.
"Injuries played a big part but I've got no excuses for last season," he added. "I just struggled for fitness and sometimes I was a bit selfish in that even when I was injured I played when I should have taken a step back to get fit.
"But you learn from your mistakes and I'm feeling fresh now for the new season."
