Walsall loanee's midfield background is a help at the back for the Saddlers

The 20-year-old, who arrived on loan from Championship side Norwich City in January, had to bide his time at Walsall but has made an immediate impact since his mid-February introduction.

Walsall have conceded just four goals from open play across his 405 minutes on the pitch, while his knack of scoring goals saw him find the net three times in his first four appearances, including match winners against Mansfield Town and Accrington Stanley respectively.

An individual accolade in the form of the EFL Young Player of the Month followed and Adegboyega has become almost indispensable in that back-line on current form.

Adegboyega revealed in a recent interview that he started out as a central midfielder at Drogheda United and had only switched to centre-back less than two years ago.

And the Irishman believes his background further up the pitch has added another dimension to his game.

“It helped a lot because I’m not really a traditional centre-back in a stance where if you see my game, it’s very different because of course I’m from a midfield background,” he explains.

“My midfield background allows me to see passes that only midfielders can see. For me to be able to play those types of passes from the back-line and to unlock different spaces to allow us to attack, that’s where it takes my game to another level.

“But I just want to continue to develop that side of my game so I can strive on.

“I still have the knowledge from midfield even though day-by-day it’s leaving me. Because I do understand that position, seeing it even deeper afield, it allows me to help out my teammates in terms of positioning and they help me as well.”

Adegboyega’s emergence was key to a remarkable run of five consecutive wins, which propelled Walsall into the play-off spots.

A 2-0 defeat at Forest Green followed by back-to-back draws against Barrow and Colchester United has seen them drop out of the top seven.

But the defender insists the past is the past as focus is firmly fixed on the present during the League Two run-in.

“The gaffer is always pushing us to stay focused. We have to stay consistent and focus on the next game,” he revealed.

“I feel the same way. It was a great run and we did what we did but now it’s the business end of the season.

“So we need to take it one by one and see where we are at the end of it.”