Liverpool's Raheem Sterling says he tries to "live, sleep and eat" football after manager Brendan Rodgers told him to sort his life out.
The 19-year-old, whose squad play Aston Villa Saturday, has made an impressive start to the season for both his club and for England.
He played a starring role at the front of a midfield diamond as Liverpool won 3-0 at Tottenham on Aug. 31, and did so again in the same position for England as they beat Switzerland 2-0 in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Monday.
Sterling has become one of Liverpool's most consistent performers since Rodgers told him to cut out the off-field distractions that were threatening to stifle his career development.
Liverpool's manager went public last September with his concerns about the teenager's personal life, saying that Sterling needed to "stabilise his life".
The attacking midfielder says he has taken on that advice as he attempts to realise his potential.
Sterling told the Daily Mail: "Going into training each day, coming home and going back to training -- that's been it for me over the last 12 months.
"I have tried to live, sleep and eat football as the manager has told me to do.
"When the time is right, I have a laugh and a joke with my friends on a day off, but I have had to make sacrifices and in that sense it's been a huge step forward, completely different to how it was before.
"I was 18 when the manager spoke to me. I realised I'm not like any other teenager. I can't be doing stuff any other 18- or 19-year-old was doing. I knew I had to make changes, to ensure being the best I could be."
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Sterling also believes his form has benefited from a decision to be more creative and less inhibited on the pitch.
He said: "Maybe 12 months ago, I wouldn't want to get on the ball as much if I'd made a mistake. But now I'm a bit more confident.
"If I lose the ball, I want to get on it as quickly as possible and make up for it, whereas before I would hide away and maybe only look for the ball 10 minutes later. I don't want to give the defenders any break.
"I sat down with my agent and went through my youth-team video footage. I saw that when I started, I'd get on the ball and within two touches would turn straight away and look to attack my opponent, but when I got into the first team, I would go for the safer option. So I went back to basics where I needed to be on the front foot and the defenders on the back foot."