Charlie Cresswell has opened up on the circumstances that led to his surprise Premier League debut for Leeds United last September against West Ham United. The defender is one of the main men featured in Amazon Prime’s new documentary ‘Academy Dreams: Leeds United’, which is released on the streaming service on Friday.
The six-part series focuses on the Whites’ youngsters as they attempt to work their way into the first-team picture at Elland Road. As last season’s captain of the under-23s Cresswell features regularly over the first two episodes of the show and viewers are able to build up a clear picture of the 20-year-old’s personality and character.
Cresswell had made just one senior appearance before last season, with his debut coming in the League Cup against Hull City, but Marcelo Bielsa made the bold call to throw him in for his Premier League bow last season against the Hammers. The decision was a late one as Luke Ayling failed a late fitness test ahead of the game, but Cresswell was selected to partner Liam Cooper in the heart of the Whites’ back line.
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Despite the 2-1 defeat, it was a proud moment for Cresswell and he recounts the day on the documentary.
“I was supposed to be on the bench and Ayling was stood there testing his knee with the physio and he said he can’t play,” Cresswell tells Amazon cameras about his first league start. “Pablo (Quiroga) came running up to me and said ‘Cresswell, get ready’.
“I had to switch my game head on. I went out to the warm-up, I was obviously nervous.
“Once that whistle went all the nerves went away and it was only a game of footy, it’s what you’ve been doing since you were five and I enjoyed it, every minute of it.
“In about the 10th minute in, he (Michail Antonio) got the ball and he’s rolled me. I remember Coops saying to me, ‘Cressy, don’t fight him’. From that moment on, I let him have it but as soon as he touched it, I just went onto him straight away.
“In the last minute he got a lucky break and I was gutted.”
Cresswell is currently away from Elland Road on loan at Millwall, where he has caught the eye over the first couple of months of the campaign. The defender scored two goals on his debut against Stoke City at The Den and he found the back of the net once more in a win over Cardiff City earlier this month.
He’ll be hoping to continue making progress in south London before returning to Elland Road and making a home for himself in Jesse Marsch’s senior set-up.
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