Michael Duff hands Huddersfield Town loanee clear pathway after 'kick up the backside'

Huddersfield Town boss Michael Duff admits he has had to give on loan defender Nigel Lonwijk a “kick up the backside” but is happy with the improvements he is making.

Lonwijk contributed to two wins and two clean sheets over Yorkshire rivals Barnsley recently and had a licence to roam from the back. Asked on his performances, Duff told West Yorkshire Sport Daily: “If you are going to play with three centre halves, they are your overload. There is no point playing three and they are all stood on the half way line. Again, that takes time and it takes trust because it is something new for some of them.

“I think Nigel has been good. He got taken out of the team. We had quite a long conversation with him, showed him a few bits and bobs. He is a good player but sometimes he wants to look good, sometimes he relies on his pace, sometimes he is a bit lazy and doesn’t do his work early enough.

“So we showed him and in the last two performances, probably because he has had a kick up the backside, he has done his work early and all of a sudden he looks like a good player.

“The level he wants to go and play at at his parent club, I don’t care who you are, if you give some of those players in that league a yard you aren’t catching them. So don’t get lazy, don’t get sloppy.

“But we believe he is a good player. One of the conversations we had. He won the league two years ago with Plymouth. I said to him why are you still in League One? His body shape is still the same, he hasn’t developed that. He is still a little bit sloppy, he is still a little bit lazy.

“So that is why he is still in League One so he needs to improve his body shape, he needs to get bigger and stronger, he needs to get better habits, use the ball quicker and then he might end up in the Championship.

“Our job is to try and when he goes back to Wolves, they go corr we have noticed a difference in him because from a selfish point we will get the next one out of Wolves then because they trust the work you are doing with them. Like we said, we do work with them.”

Speaking on his own performance and the most recent Barnsley win in the EFL Trophy, Lonwijk said: “I think it was good. Obviously another clean sheet and another 2-0 win so it was nice to get back to back wins. We have worked on it a lot so it is good that it comes out like this.

“There is a lot of competition so you play with different players and different systems and you have to get used to every one and I think we are getting there. Hopefully we can keep going like this.

“It is always nice to have the fans behind you. It always pushes us on if they support us when it goes well but even when it doesn’t go as well. It is a nice feeling. We are just going to get back into training and keep working so we can keep on the momentum. Ready for the next game. I can’t complain with a break. Everyone enjoys a little one!”