Jack Walton has vowed to remain in the moment as he enters the final months of his contract.
The 26-year-old is enjoying his second successive campaign on loan with Dundee United and, following a superb season in the Championship, has taken that form into the top-flight.
Walton has racked up four clean sheets in the Premiership – a record only bettered by Kasper Schmeichel and Jack Butland – and boss Jim Goodwin this week described him as among the top keepers in the division.
The composed No.1 is effectively playing for his future – whether that be at Luton, Tannadice or elsewhere – as his deal at Kenilworth Road is due to expire in the summer of 2025.
But he is remaining cool on the topic.
Judgement
“My contract at Luton is up in the summer but I’m a more “here and now” sort of person,” said Walton.
“I keep in touch with Luton and speak to the coaches regularly. They’re tracking my development and seeing how I’ve done. That’s all part of the loan.
“Ultimately, as footballers, we all know every time we cross that white line – every time we go on the training pitch – we’re getting judged. That’s the industry we’re in. I’m a believer you’re only as good as your last game or your last few games.
“So, regardless of anything else, you’ve got to go out there, do your best and show what you’re good at. That is where my focus is.”
He added: “When I came up here, I wanted to get game time and experience. I’ve had that. Personally, I’ve been happy with what I’ve done.
“I feel my performances have been good. I really just wanted to carry on from last season, and I feel I’ve done that.”
Walton: United can get better
The same can be said for United as a collective.
Goodwin’s newly promoted charges have hit the ground running in the Premiership, roaring into fourth place and losing just three of their opening 12 fixtures.
They swept aside Ross County 3-0 at Tannadice prior to the international break, with the second half representing arguably their best 45 minutes of the season.
“We’re happy with the way we’ve started, but we know we can be better in certain areas,” continued Walton.
“Every day, we work hard and try to be better individually, collectively, tactically; it’s all about trying to drive those standards.
“We’re still only in November and there’s a lot of football to be played from now until the end of the season.
“I think you can see people growing in confidence, and we know if we carry on working hard and improving what we could achieve. There’s more to come from us, definitely.
“But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’ve done nothing yet.”
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