Matt was like a bear in hibernation... he just needed waking up, says Hasselbaink
EIGHTEEN months ago Matt Grimes could have been forgiven for wondering what on earth the future would hold for him at Swansea City.
The midfielder, who the Swans had signed ahead of the likes of Liverpool in January 2015, had just endured a miserable season on loan at Leeds United.
He had found himself frozen out of Garry Monk’s plans after an FA Cup humbling at the hands of Sutton United, and he’d come in for some fierce stick from supporters.
At the start of the 2017-18 campaign he went out on loan to Northampton in League One, and his Swansea career looked to be fizzling out before it had really started.
But the experience with the Cobblers would help revive Grimes’ fortunes even if he could not prevent them suffering relegation and a fall into League Two.
For the first time in his career he played more than 40 games in a season – his previous best by some distance had been 37 during his breakthrough campaign at Exeter and rediscovered some of the confidence and belief that had been so badly eroded at Elland Road.
Former Chelsea and Holland striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was in charge of Northampton for the majority of last season and is generous in his praise for the 23-year-old.
“With Matt his quality was never in doubt, it was obvious that technically he is very, very good,” said the Dutchman, who netted 127 Premier League goals across spells with Leeds, Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Charlton.
“I had come across Matt before I got to Northampton. When I was in charge of Burton we had played Exeter, so I had already seen up close what he could do.
“I really liked him as a player, he has so much potential and has a great left foot. I never played him as a left-back or a left-winger because I wanted him on the ball in the middle but he has real quality so it does not surprise me to see him doing well playing there with Swansea.
“I have only good things to say about him, he was such a professional. He looks after himself and his body and was very easy to work with. I am really happy for him.”
And Hasselbaink believes it is the slow restoration of confidence and belief that has been key in starting to turn around his Swansea career, earning a new deal in the process.
Indeed, Hasselbaink compares Grimes to being like an animal in hibernation, just needing the encouragement to emerge.
And he believes the former England Under-20 international is more than capable of going on to become a Premier League player.
“We tried really hard with Matt to help with his confidence because he was a bit down because his loan spells had not gone as he had wanted,” added Hasselbaink, who is hopeful of getting back into management and has spent times observing the likes of Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa and Dean Smith (while still at Brentford) at close quarters.
“But we reassured him, we told him we believed in him and we wanted him to play and be important for us and, quite quickly, he became one of the first names on the team sheet for us.
“He was a little rusty to start with but he was like a bear in hibernation. He just needed to be woken up, just that nudge to wake up, and once that happened he was a very important player for us and he was ready to take on responsibility.
“I am confident that if he keeps working and he keeps going like he is he can play in the Premier League, particularly if he gets back there with Swansea.
“When I spoke to him I told him it was very important that he played for a team that would suit the way he plays and give him the best chance to show his quality.
“I said ‘go to a team that plays your football.’ He does not want to be in a side that is direct and playing long balls, he wants to be in a side that want to pass and allows him to get on the ball and Swansea is that sort of team.
“They are doing well, the Championship is such an unpredictable league. Everyone can beat everyone so you just have to keep focused each and every week.” “A cruel game” Grimes himself had admitted his career had been “staggering a bit” following his season at Elland Road, and has since added that his time in Yorkshire had served as a lesson in how “cruel” football can be.
Yet, amidst all that, he has no doubt his spells with Blackburn, Leeds and Northampton have been instrumental in making sure he has taken his chance to finally mark out a regular first-team role with the Swans.
“A lot has gone on since I had last played for Swansea before this season,” he said.
“I am just happy to be back here playing football. That was my dream when I signed here three years ago.
“It didn’t work out at the time and I had to go out on loan and bide my time.
“I learned a lot out on loan. I probably learned the most when I was at Leeds. I learned football is a very cruel game and won’t give you anything.
“I needed to play games last season so it was very beneficial for me to drop down a league to play regular games with Northampton.
“I’ve taken a lot from those experiences and that’s why I am here today.”
Change of manager, change of position, change of fortunes
Having said all that, it would be hard to imagine that anyone – including Grimes himself – would have seen part of his future at Swansea including a stint at leftback.
Yet, having been asked to fill in there during pre-season – with Martin Olsson given additional time off after Sweden’s World Cup campaign - he has shown himself adept at playing on the left side of defence, while he has also performed strongly in his favoured midfield position.
Potter has utilised that versatility by encouraging Grimes to tuck into central areas to create mismatches, while his range of passing has allowed him to help Daniel James vary their threat down the left flank.
It has been enough to earn him a deal through to 2022 and his Swansea future looks as bright as it has ever been.
And Potter revealed how - as with the likes of Oli Mcburnie - Grimes had made no demands for regular action when
they spoke in the sum-