United States international DeAndre Yedlin has admitted he has taken longer than expected to adapt to life at Tottenham Hotspur.
Yedlin, 21, made his Premier League debut as a late substitute against Aston Villa last month after completing a move from Seattle Sounders in January, but has yet to play again for the club as he has found his first-team opportunities limited.
However, the right-back suggested his period of acclimatisation will be over ahead of the start of next season and hopes that he will get a chance to prove himself.
"Everywhere I've been, I've adjusted pretty quickly, but this is taking me a little bit longer," Yedlin told Bleacher Report. "Of course you want to just get in there and play. But I think in the long run, it is better that they have been patient with me, and it's better that they've allowed me to adapt to life here.
"The fans just see what's happening on the field, but there's a lot more that goes into it behind the scenes. It's good that I've been given a certain amount of time to adjust. Hopefully, going into next season, I will be fully adjusted and ready to go."
Yedlin suggested he has no regrets about accepting the challenge at Tottenham, as he believes the chance to test himself against the best players in the Premier League will bring his game to a new level.
"Seattle was good for me," he added. "I was very comfortable there. Not comfortable in terms of it was too easy, but I was at home, I was with my family and friends. It was a great life. I was home.
"I think, for me, when I get too comfortable with the lifestyle and everything, I feel that my performances, my focus can go down. I wanted to really challenge myself, and now I'm here.
"I'm living by myself [and] I have to make new friends. So that part has been a challenge for me, but it'll be good in the long run."
Yedlin admits he needs to work on his game before he is ready to shine in the Premier League and claimed he has been using the last few months to study his peers and hone his own skills.
"I'm really trying to work on my defensive positioning," he added. "I think, especially here, you can get killed if your positioning isn't right, so I think that's another really big part of my game that I need to work on.
"It's good because I can watch a lot of games on TV now, so I can study other right-backs and learn from them.
"I just try to take it day by day [and] improve day by day. I think if you do that, then whatever you have as a target will come. I think if you put a timeframe on things, you can start rushing things and getting away from the goals, so I try to take it day by day and make sure I keep improving."
Yedlin also offered up a comparison between his USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann and the tactician now overseeing his development at Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino.
"I think the one thing I really like about Jurgen is that he trusts his young players and he really gives them opportunities," he said. "I think it's the same with Pochettino. That was another big factor in my decision to come here. I knew if I moved, I would get the opportunities if I earned them."