Duff’s tribute to ‘brilliant’ Wright

He is earning really good money, but there is no edge to him, no arrogance or ego, he just comes in, always with a smile on his face

» MICHAEL Duff has paid tribute to loan star Callum Wright as his second loan spell with Cheltenham Town nears its end.

Wright starred in the League Two title campaign last season and has played a massive part in League One survival this season, but Duff is resigned to the fact that he will not return again.

“We have done well to get Callum back this year, but I think it’s fair to say he’s probably going to move on,” said Duff.

“Callum’s been brilliant. The fact he came in for six months last year and he wasn’t a starter at the start. He had to learn the way we play and work, but he’s a brilliant kid.

“He is popular among the supporters, but also among the players and staff. Sometimes players make it look like it’s a chore to go out and play, but he doesn’t – he loves it.

“He is a really good kid, from a really good family. He is earning really good money, but there is no edge to him, no arrogance or ego, he just comes in, always with a smile on his face.

“The way that he plays is exactly how his personality is. He’s been fantastic, so it was a case of ‘come back and have a full year with us and go on and do big things’, so I hope he gets a really good move next year, or gets into Leicester’s first team.”

Duff is not expecting a big turnover of players this summer, but has not started discussions with anyone yet over next season.

“I can’t until we know the budget,” he said. “The season finishes in a couple of weeks and we want to be having those conversations as soon as possible.

“They might be bad conversations, but from my point of view, I’d rather tell someone bad news sooner rather than later.

“I don’t want it to get to the last game of the season and then come back three days later and say, ‘Oh, by the way, I am not going to offer you anything’.

“If we have made that decision, we’ll tell the players as soon as we can. It’s a difficult time of year – not just for the pros, but for the youth team players as well. These are all things that are going on in the background.

“I don’t think there will be a huge turnaround. I’d take this squad next year, 100 per cent, but we’ll lose a few. Some will be our decisions and some won’t.

“It’s the cycle of football, but we won’t have 15 new players next season, which is what we don’t want.

“One thing we’ve done from the start is to keep a little bit of continuity year on year.

“There are always a few from the year before, so when the new players come in, they are told how we work.”

Duff said he was always watching his players, with thoughts going around in his head about what might happen with them.

“That’s a daily occurrence – watching who looks interested and who doesn’t, who is energising the group and who isn’t, who is training well and who’s not,” he said.

“In the background you have signings. Agents don’t just come to life this time of year, they are there all the time. Recruitment is there all the time and when you go to watch games, it’s not always to watch opposition.

“It gets heightened at this time of year and January, but it’s a 24/7, 12 months of the year job and you are constantly trying to evolve and see if you can improve or not. “

Michael Duff on Callum Wright