After the Olympic dream, Stanger aims high at Accies
George Stanger hopes training with Premier League stars at the Olympics can help establish him at Hamilton Accies.
The 21-year-old defender was part of the New Zealand squad that reached the quarter-finals of this summer’s Tokyo Games before being knocked out by hosts Japan on penalties.
And Stanger revealed training with established Premier League players like Chris Wood and Winston Reid was great for his development.
Stanger admits Burnley striker Wood and West Ham defender Reid were quick to pass on advice and tips to enhance his game.
And he is looking to put what he learned into practice to become a regular under new Accies head coach Stuart Taylor.
Stanger said: “When you’re involved in the Olympics it does give you a real hunger because you’re playing at the top level of the game and it makes you want to aspire to continue playing at that level.
“The players that were there were of a high quality and some of the boys in our squad have loads of experience and I felt I learned a lot from even training with them.
“It was good to play against Chris Wood in training – you do learn a lot. He’s a striker but he’d talk to me about things he doesn’t necessarily like playing against defensively to improve my game.
“Winston Reid has played at a high level for many years, so I learned a lot from him. They were good in helping the younger lads.
“There is a lot of good competition in my position at Accies and it’s going to be tough but every young player’s aspiration is to play games. That’s when you enjoy football the most.
“So I’ll keep working hard and try to get as many games as possible.”
Stanger relished his Olympic experience, despite his chances of exploring Tokyo being restricted because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “The Olympics was a crazy experience, I loved every minute of it. I just wish I could have seen a bit more of the city but because of Covid we were confined to the hotel a lot of the time.
“But it was great and to represent your country is always an honour.
“I was lucky because the boys who were flying back to Europe got a tour round the Olympic village before we flew home. We, unfortunately, didn’t get to stay in the village as our games were outside of Tokyo.
“It was great to see the Olympic village in action and the thousands of athletes that were there.”