Courtney Clarke on how Lee Grant is unlocking his Walsall potential

He boasts speed, skill, guile and an ability to excite, but also a productive streak in the final third.

Clarke spent the majority of his debut season in the Football League as a No 8 in Mat Sadler’s 3-5-2 formation, although he did sometimes drop to wing-back.

That changed when Darren Byfield took interim charge for the final 10 games last term, but he has moved on to another level under Lee Grant in the position.

‘I want to grow’ - Clarke on his development as a winger

“I feel like this was the year that I know my position and I know that I’ve got a whole season to really work on this position,” Clarke explained.

“Now I just need to work knowing this position inside out. Just for my own development, I want to grow and I’m excited to see what I can do.”

He continued: “I’m quick, creative, I can go both ways and use my skills to excite people.

“I want to provide for people. I want to get more goals and assists and that’s the type of player I want to be, and can be.”

Clarke scored twice and set-up seven more in 50 appearances across all competitions in the previous campaign and has added a further three assists to his tally this term.

Clarke: Lee Grant has ‘made me see the game differently’

On his growth in the EFL, he added: “Playing at this level has helped me grow in my mind both on and off the pitch.

“The manager this year brings our standards up from where he has come from and where he has been coaching.

“You start to see the game differently. It’s helped me so much, where there are some situations that I have to find my way out and solve it myself.

“He has just found solutions for every single player to express themselves.”

Grant has provided Clarke with ‘freedom’ within his structure

The Jamaica international, who spent his formative years playing cage football in London, has explained how Grant has provided him with the necessary freedom, while still drumming into him the principles and disciplines required to fit within his structure.

“When I play on the wing, I can be a midfielder as well. I can go high and wide, but he allows me to drift anywhere I want to go and where I can hurt them.

“In training, he tells me what spaces will make me hurt them.”

“I’d say it’s different as a winger because normally it’s wing-back to wing-back.

“This time, I feel like I’ve been working on my press. It’s not just pressing in a straight line, but from inside to out and pressing them and forcing them one way.

“That’s what I’ve been working on and I have to focus on these finer details to become a better player.”