Walsall loanee Jack Fitzwater is keen to learn from the best

The 21-year-old, who is on loan from Albion, had played every minute of every game for the Saddlers until he missed Saturday’s win over Wycombe with a knock.

Fitzwater is expected to be back in the Walsall squad for the visit of Burton Albion this weekend.

But while he has won praise for his consistent displays at the Banks’s Stadium, the centre-back knows he still has plenty of areas in which to improve.

And he revealed he is taking inspiration from Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk as well as John Stones and Vincent Kompany at Manchester City as he works to become a better player.

“I’m working to improve all areas of my game,” Fitzwater said.

“I need to improve my positioning on the pitch.

“I’ve been working with the physical staff on my little burst of pace, turning and accelerating.

“And I’ve been working on having a bigger presence on the pitch.

“You see Virgil van Dijk, John Stones and Vincent Kompany, they have not had an easy journey to get to where they are.

“They are all improving weekly and that’s the level of performance I want to get to.

“I’m only going to do that by playing games and trying to improve myself.”

Fitzwater is particularly impressed by van Dijk’s presence on the pitch.

“His presence on the pitch – that’s one thing I can improve massively,” he added.

“He’s so confident. No matter what game it is, a friendly or the Champions League final, he always looks assured and nothing bothers him.

“That from a defender would be intimidating for a striker.

“That’s the level I want to achieve.”