St Johnstone loan star Gwion Edwards is gunning for a regular first team place after making a swift return to Perth.
The Swansea midfielder found opportunities to shine fairly limited when he made the move north in February, making seven fleeting appearances as a substitute for Saints in his initial spell.
But now the ambitious 20-year-old is back and more determined than ever to stake a claim for a spot in new Saints boss Tommy Wright’s plans moving forward.
“It’s good to get a chance to come back up and I’ll hopefully be able to play some more games this year,” he told Courier Sport.
“It’s a good opportunity to play league football and play in the first team, and obviously getting the chance to play in Europe was a big factor in me coming back up here.
“I went back to Swansea and had a few weeks off but obviously I got the phone call from Tommy and spoke to Swansea as well and just decided the best option was to come back up.
“There were a few options on the table and my agent had been speaking to a few clubs but I thought I would jump at the chance to come back.
“To be honest, I couldn’t wait to get back into training and I’m looking forward to the new season. Hopefully I can kick on from here and establish myself in the first team.
“At the end of the day, I want to get a place in the team and keep it. Hopefully I’ll be able to play every game that’s the main aim.”
Edwards linked back up with the Saints squad for pre-season training on Monday and immediately set his sights on the team’s forthcoming Europa League tie against Crusaders or Rosenborg.
His signed club Swansea are also in European competition this season by virtue of winning the League Cup south of the border, but when it came to choosing between life with Swansea or Saints there appeared to be little contest.
“Swansea are obviously in Europe as well but there’s more of a chance of me playing up here than I would’ve done at Swansea,” he said.
“Hopefully playing first-team football here every week will benefit me more as a player and maybe I could push on at Swansea if I go back next year.
“I’ve done a bit of running over the summer and we’re doing a bit more running and ball work this week, so it’s great to be back.
“I’ve just been looking forward to getting back into it and to be honest you don’t have much time off because we’re literally straight back into it with the Europa League first up.
“So you’ve just got to try and get yourself as fit as you can as quickly as you can. Crusaders or Rosenborg, it doesn’t really matter hopefully whoever we get we can do well and get a win.
“It will be a big chance for us as a club, and for me personally, to play in Europe, and we’re all really looking forward to it. It’s a great opportunity for all the players.”
Looking beyond Saints’ foray into Europe, Edwards hopes he can contribute to the Perth men having another successful season in the SPL, albeit under new management.
“We did well last year and hopefully we can carry on competing,” he concluded.
“Celtic were obviously worthy champions but I don’t see any reason why we can’t finish at least third again, maybe even second.”