Joe Rankin-Costello insists he doesn't care where he plays for Blackburn Rovers but believes there is more to come from him to reach last season's heights.
The Blackburn Rovers utility man broke into the team at right-back around Christmas having been frozen out by Jon Dahl Tomasson. Rankin-Costello showed incredible form and ended up finishing the season as second in the running for Player of the Year.
That consistency was rewarded with a new four-year deal in the summer, tying him down to Rovers for the long term. This season has been a little more stop-start.
Rankin-Costello started the season at full-back but picked up a minor injury before the international break. He struggled to get his place back due to the fantastic form of Callum Brittain. James Hill has also impressed in that position in the last two games.
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Tomasson has also trialled the 24-year-old in central midfield, a role he played at a younger age. His quality on the ball and driving runs make him a good fit for the role too.
Speaking after the win over Queens Park Rangers where he impressed in the centre, getting an assist for the opening goal, Rankin-Costello insisted his main objective is being in the team and playing well.
"I feel comfortable wherever I play," he said. "It's a different type of running (midfield), you're on the move for 90 minutes rather than sprint then rest. It's harder for me but the more I play it, the more I'll get used to it.
"We have quality in the squad, there is a lot of competition. Luckily for me, there are a lot of positions I can play.
"I don't care where I am in the team, I just want to play. It is nice to get in the positions where I got today and get assists and try to add goals to my game.
"As long as I'm in the team, it doesn't matter where I play. I'm happy. I feel like I still need to step it up to get where I was last year.
"I haven't been as good this season in my opinion but I hope today can lead to getting better and better."
That victory over the Rs was a timely boost for Tomasson's side. They went to Loftus Road with four successive Championship defeats on their coattails and needed a confidence-boosting result before the international break.
They delivered that emphatically, getting their rewards for a good performance. That hasn't always been the case after a sticky period where displays have been decent but the results haven't followed.
Rankin-Costello admits the dressing room has been frustrating but there has always been belief that the best sides stick to their principles and eventually, the tide turns.
"We played at Coventry the other night and I felt we dominated the game," he explained. "If you don't get a result then it means nothing but we know we're doing the right things. If we continue to do that then it should really.
"It was important. We're not thinking about the bottom, we feel as a group we should be looking up. In most games, we have dominated and created chances.
"We have to put them in the back of the net and, hopefully, this gives us confidence. We shouldn't be in the position we're in.
"The manager has said to keep doing what we're doing. The best teams don't change and we're trying to get to that. If we keep doing what we do, we'll put the ball in the net.
"We feel if we control the game and keep the ball, we can limit the amount of opportunities that the other team has. We'll get more than them and then we have to keep them."
Rovers have been boosted by the return of Arnor Sigurdsson from injury. The Icelandic forward missed the first two months of the season with a groin problem, sustained in pre-season.
Since returning to the fold, he has scored four goals in three matches, including a well-taken brace at QPR. It's early days in his Rovers career but he looks like he could be a match-winner.
Having lost Ben Brereton Diaz in the summer, Rovers need match-winners and goal-scorers. Rankin-Costello has been very impressed with Sigurdsson and believes he can be a big player for Rovers this season.
"We haven't seen a lot of him in training because there have been lots of games and he's back from his injury," he said. "We didn't know what we were getting but I think he's unbelievable.
"He's showing it week in, week out. He can get a goal, three games four goals for him. I hope he can continue that.
"He's got genuine quality, especially when he came in on his right foot and found the corner. You need people like that in the team."
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