Aidan Barlow believes having the trust of Gary McSheffrey can help bring out the best in him next season.
The 22-year-old has penned a new one-year deal with the club, after making 34 appearances in the 2021/22 campaign.
“Having the belief of the manager is important, and now the challenge for me is to repay that with good performances on the pitch.
“I want to nail down a position for myself and impact games with the ability I know I have, I feel like I showed I can be versatile last season but it’s important to have a natural position.
“Having the manager and Copps both playing in similar positions to me in their careers helps because I can learn from them.”
With the players due back in for pre-season training in less than four weeks, Barlow is already eager to get back to work.
He added: “There are a few weeks to go until pre-season starts but I wish it was starting today to be honest, I’m just buzzing to get back in with the lads.
“It will be my first real pre-season with a club, it’s another new experience and I can spend the weeks prior to the new campaign getting myself ready.
“I started to build some momentum in terms of games and became closer to the group so hopefully that can continue when we come back in.”
