wˌɛn hiː ɹᵻtˈɜːnd tə fˈɪtnəs, hiː æt fˈɜːst stɹˈʌɡəld tə ɹᵻɡˈeɪn hɪz plˈeɪs stˈɑːɹɾɪŋ æt ɹˈaɪtbˈæk fɚɹə tˈuː wˈʌn dˈɜːbi vˈɪktɚɹi ˌoʊvɚ bɹˈɪstəl sˈɪɾi ænd ɐpˈɪɹɪŋ ɪn ɐn ʌnfəmˈɪlɪɹ sˈɛntɹəl mˈɪdfiːld ɹˈoʊl ɪn ɐ tˈɛɹᵻbəl fˈoːɹ wˈʌn dᵻfˈiːt æt bˈɔstən juːnˈaɪɾᵻd ɪnðɪ ˌɛfˈeɪ kˈʌp bᵻfˌoːɹ bˌiːɪŋ ɹˈɛlᵻɡˌeɪɾᵻd tə ðə bˈɛntʃ fɚðə nˈɛkst θɹˈiː ɡˈeɪmz.
When he returned to fitness, he at first struggled to regain his place – starting at right-back for a 2–1 derby victory over Bristol City and appearing in an unfamiliar central midfield role in a terrible 4–1 defeat at Boston United in the FA Cup – before being relegated to the bench for the next three games.