West Ham United talent Dapo Afolayan believes that he is now a tactically improved player and after working well at the club's academy for the last few months, as he looks to kick on after sealing a loan away from the London Stadium.
The youngster secured a short-term loan deal to League Two side Mansfield last week and is set to stay at the League Two club until at least January.
The Hammers starlet spent time at Chelsea as a youngster, but then moved on and was only able to break into senior football when he joined National League side Solihull Moors in 2017.
Afolayan insists that the stint with Solihull Moors was the best part of his career so far and now he needs a similar environment to reach his potential.
The West Ham star also took time to credit the Hammers for offering him a platform and now he insists that he is looking to make the most of his Mansfield loan.
“I feel like it [Solihull Moors] was the best part of my career so far. To hit that form again I feel that I need to be an environment like this to reach my potential", Afolayan told his new club's official site.
“Coming into men’s football and being a bit of an unknown identity helped me out. I feel that I’m a much better player now and it’s prepared me for the future."
Afolayan is full of praise for the set-up at West Ham, which he feels has improved his technique and made him more switched on tactically.
“Being at West Ham we work hard on our technique and in every training session we drive ourselves to the highest standards.
“Tactically I’ve become a lot more aware as well, so anything that’s thrown at me I’ll be able to handle.
“West Ham is a great club and I’ve worked well in the academy over the last few months.
"I feel like I’m in a great position now to push on", he added.
The young forward spent the second half of last season on loan at Oldham Athletic and as such League Two will not be new to the West Ham talent.
