Quotes from DeAndre Yedlin

Positional awareness comes with experience, so getting game time helps, but we also work a lot in training as a back-line and also on defensive shape.

When you face any adversity in life those are the kind of lessons you can take and remember. Those are the things that are going to help me not just in football but in life, which is priceless.

I think at some point I would like to meet my dad. He's in prison in the U.S. for life, so it's about figuring out where he is stationed and making time to see him.

I won't eat past when I'm full. I think that's the problem some people have, they like a dish so much that they'll eat until it's completely gone and feel sick after. Me, if I feel full, ready, comfortable, I'll stop.

When I was younger if I was in someone else's shoes, if you saw a professional athlete you'd want to go up and introduce yourself and ask a couple questions, so I definitely know where they're coming from.

In the Premier League a little half a second can punish you and you just have to be focused for all 90 or 95 minutes, whatever it may be.

At fullback you have a little bit more defensive responsibility. You have to help out with your center backs a little bit more. As a wing back, you can be a little bit more aggressive with getting forward.

As a wing back, when you get the ball wide, you usually don't have any help out wide. You have to be pretty good on your own out there.

I've played both right-back and right wing, I can't really say if I am more comfortable in one or the other but both are fun positions for me to play.

When I made the decision to go to Europe, a lot of people questioned it. The first six months I was there even I was questioning it, but I think I learned a lot more about myself in that six months than I have my whole life.

If I had grown earlier, maybe I would have stuck with football. Maybe. But I was just too small. I was quick, I could outrun people, but if anyone ever got a hand on me, I was done.

I want to keep getting better.

Even when my grandparents compliment me, I don't like when they do that.

Seattle was good for me. 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. But I think, for me, when I get too comfortable with the lifestyle and everything, I feel that my performances, my focus can go down.

You're going to have highs and lows, but it's how you get through the lows.

I want to be in the World Cup.

For me, I want to win the World Cup. If that's not the goal then I don't think you should be playing.

A lot of people ask me what has been the biggest change with me being in England and a lot of people expect me to say something related to football, but mostly it's just growing up and becoming a man.

Life in Newcastle has been a lot more similar to life in Seattle, which has been great. The city is relaxed but, just like Seattle, Newcastle's passion for their team is second to none. You get recognized walking down the street or when you're around town.

You never want to be too comfortable because that's when you start to get complacent and start doing those little stupid things and getting too relaxed.

For me, that's the biggest thing, if something holds me back it's my mental game so I really tried to focus on that and just worked on that.

I think every player aspires to challenge themselves against the very best and that's what I'm hoping to do.

As a young black American you become desensitised to it, it's just like 'oh, another guy, another kid died today.' That's so, so sad cos we are talking about human life, the most sacred thing we have.

Obviously you have to take it the right way, keep your head down, be humble. But I think if you're in an environment where you're challenging yourself, you're only going to improve. So that's honestly what I tried to do when I went to Europe.