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Wales Online
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Mathew Davies

Morgan Whittaker is tearing it up at Plymouth Argyle and he has told Swansea City where his future lies

Morgan Whittaker is making people sit up and take notice.

The local media have branded him "one of the best players in the league" with Plymouth Argyle riding high at the top of the League One standings, while national outlet Sky Sports have called him the division's "hottest property".

Pretty good testimonies there.

The Swansea City loanee has seven goals for the campaign in 17 appearances, but it reality it's more than just his goals that is catching the eye. At 21 years of age, he is now getting regular game-time under his belt and flourishing in a system which appears to be built around him. Russell Martin's decision to send him out on loan is being justified, and then some.

READ MORE: The conundrum Russell Martin must solve for first time as four Swansea City players walking Wigan tightrope

In truth, if he had stayed with the Championship club this term, he would have been forced to accept a bit-part role in the league and the odd start in the cups.

For someone at his stage of his career, that wouldn't have been helpful at all. He told Sky Sports why he decided to take the step down to the third tier and his answer is enlightening.

"I had a chat with Steven Schumacher [manager] and Neil Dewsnip [Plymouth's director of football], who I knew from the England set-up, at the end of last season and what they were saying was right for me, so I knew this was the next step I needed to take in my career," Whittaker said.

"Scoring a hat-trick against them in the Carabao Cup last year was a good audition!

"He [Schumacher] is someone that understands me and knows how I want to play. We both know the things I need to work on and it's just that understanding that is key.

"I could go on loan to a Championship team and just be sat on the bench. Having this experience in League One is massive, just getting out there playing and experiencing different kinds of games. I experienced Wycombe a few weeks ago, which is a completely different game to what I'm used to.

"Knowing you have that trust from the manager gives you a lot of confidence knowing you are not just there to make up numbers. Having that backing goes a long way."

Head coach Martin sanctioned three loan moves last summer, with Whittaker, Kyle Joseph and Jordon Garrick leaving south Wales for pastures new on a temporary basis.

Whether Whittaker has a long-term future in Landore remains to be seen, but he has told Martin where he sees his future positionally after finding a home, quite literally, at Home Park in the space behind the striker.

"I'm playing as a No 10, which I like because if I'm not getting on the ball or I'm not getting in the game, I have that licence to go and find it," he said.

"We don't just have to stay in one position, but everyone in the team still knows their jobs and responsibilities. Everyone is contributing.

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"As a No 10, you are in the game a lot more and, as a result of that, you just enjoy it more. I definitely want to play in this position in future. It's where I can get the ball the most and create things.

"I'm confident on the ball and feel I'm capable of creating things each game. Just knowing you can do that and carry it forward helps with the games coming up. It's massive."

Here lies the problem; Swansea are quite well stocked in the No10 department, with the likes of Jamie Paterson, newly emerged Ollie Cooper, Olivier Ntcham and even Joel Piroe liking to sit in the pocket behind the main man. Squeezing in Whittaker could cause Martin a headache, albeit a good one managers like to have.

In the meantime, Whittaker's focus is on the main prize; promotion - automatically, too. "I think we're definitely capable of getting play-offs and I think we can go and get one of the top two positions," he added. "Especially after what happened last season, that is a real goal.

"I think being so close last season shows we can do it. The club want to go that one step further and I think that's why they have looked to bring in the players they have, not just me, the other lads that have come in on loan and settled in really well. I think we've got a good balance all over.

"The fans play a massive part, too. They get right behind us and we know as players that if we start fast and get the fans behind us, Home Park is a horrible place to come for any team. I think that's shown in the games we've had already.

"We know we can perform against the bigger teams, now we've got to show that we can do it against everyone else - if we can do that, we will be fine. If we just try and keep this momentum and keep it going, I think it can definitely be possible."

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