Ryan Wintle was ecstatic to tie up his Crewe Alexandra future so early into the new season after having just 12 months remaining on his previous deal.

The 22-year-old put pen-to-paper on a fresh two-year-contract this week & was delighted that his form in his 50 appearances last season merited an improved offer.

Ryan told iFollow The Alex: “I’m really happy to have signed. We’ve been in talks for a couple of weeks & I’m just glad everything has been sorted so I can get my head down & play football.

“It shows that I’m part of his team & part of his ideas for the new season as well. It gives you that bit of assurance knowing that you do have another year after.

“I don’t like leaving things too long. If it’s there I like to just it over & done with. It’s good because now I can get fit, go through the pre-season & get ready for Plymouth on the first game of the season.

“I’ve had a few injuries the past years which has hampered my progress, whereas last year, I stayed fit the whole season & played nearly every game -  I think I missed maybe two or three.

“It was good to play, but it’s not just about playing, it’s about playing well so I was happy that I did that & now I’ve been rewarded for it.”

Wintle was named runner-up for the 2018/19 Player of the Season award, being pipped to top spot by Perry Ng, but both players were highly recognised for their consistency.

Looking ahead to the new campaign, Ryan has been working hard on his game to add a new dimension to his arsenal.

“It’s good because everyone sees the work that you’re putting in & that you’re improving as a player & if it wasn’t for Pez then I probably would’ve won it! He had a great season as well, so if we can all have really good seasons this time around then we’ll be alright at the end of this season.

“The Gaffer has got targets for me but I’m not going to reveal them! He wants me to be more box-to-box & in turn that will help the team all-round.”

Watch the full length interview for free on iFollow below