Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen has revealed that it took until the summer for him to feel that he belonged at Stamford Bridge.
In recent years, many of Chelsea's academy and reserve players have been loaned out to other clubs before being sold, and that could have been the case with Christensen after two excellent years on loan at German side Borussia Monchengladbach.
However, his performances in the Bundesliga did not go unnoticed by Blues head coach Antonio Conte, who has used the Dane on eight occasions this season, and Christensen has admitted that he is starting to enjoy life in West London.
The 21-year-old told The Guardian: "It was probably only before I went on holiday this summer that I wondered if I'd get a chance, but the manager showed me he trusts me and he has a great passion for me to deliver. I've been involved pretty much from the start so, right now, I'm happy.
"When I was first at Chelsea as a first-team player [under José Mourinho in 2014-15], I wasn't even in the squad all the time. You always have to go and look at the list and sometimes you are in the squad and sometimes not.
"Now I feel much more like a Chelsea player. It's a new staff and they need to get to know me, but I'm getting a lot of playing time and I have to keep going and show I am entitled to more."
Christensen has played five times in the Premier League this season, including a man-of-the-match display against Tottenham Hotspur on the second weekend of the campaign.
