In his second season at Bayer Leverkusen since joining from Ajax, Daley Sinkgraven has established himself as the first-choice left-back at the BayArena under Peter Bosz.

Sitting down with bundesliga.com, the 25-year-old Dutchman discusses the 2020/21 season so far for Leverkusen, his transition from midfielder to left-back and which skill he'd like to take from fellow Dutchman Wout Weghorst.

bundesliga.com: You have some important games ahead, don't you, starting with VfB Stuttgart this weekend?

Daley Sinkgraven: "They have a good team. I think they always have a good team. We have already played against them and I think we played well. So yeah, I'm excited for the weekend."

bundesliga.com: How tough do you believe the competition to be in the Bundesliga?

Sinkgraven: "I think there is a lot of quality. In the Bundesliga, you have to give everything in every game. There are no games you can relax in or lose focus. Every game you have to be 100 percent."

bundesliga.com: How do you rate your own performances so far this season?

Sinkgraven: "It's okay. I play a lot of games. I think it's stable. Of course, there are things I can improve. I can be more attacking, but so far it's okay I think."

bundesliga.com: What can you do better in attack?

Sinkgraven: "Yeah, I know I can do it better, but I think I have to show more initiative to play forward and make the runs."

Daley Sinkgraven is looking to do more attacking than defending for Bayer Leverkusen in the future. - DFL

Want more Bundesliga Action?

GET THE UPDATES!

bundesliga.com: How do you rate the season so far for the team as a whole?

Sinkgraven: "I think it's really good. We had a really good series before the winter break. Now we're really trying again to get back what we had in the beginning of the season. But it will come back."

bundesliga.com: Were you glad to hear about the signing of Tim Fosu-Mensah in the January transfer window?

Sinkgraven: "It's good. I think he's a good guy and a good player. He's coming from Manchester United where he didn't play a lot of games, so I hope he can get a good feeling here."

bundesliga.com: You're both from the Netherlands, did you already know him personally?

Sinkgraven: "Nope. No, I didn't play with him before."

Peter Bosz (r.) has been looking for the perfect way to use Daley Sinkgraven (l.) in his Bayer Leverkusen team. - imago images

bundesliga.com: What is your relationship with Peter Bosz?

Sinkgraven: "Yeah, good, I think like every other player. I'm happy that he brings me to this club and I'm just trying to give everything."

bundesliga.com: Was he the one to re-train you as a left-back?

Sinkgraven: "I think also the coach, but also I think it was an analyst for Ajax. He came with the idea and the trainer just tried it once and it was okay."

bundesliga.com: How was that change for you?

Sinkgraven: "I was really just a little bit in shock, but for me when I played the first game it didn't really matter because you get the ball a lot at left-back. I really like it and I can play forward, so yeah, it's good."

Daley Sinkgraven (r.) has been able to battle against the best the Bundesliga has to offer, such as Robert Lewandowski (l.). - DFL

bundesliga.com: You were injured for a very long time. Did you have doubts and fears during that period?

Sinkgraven: "I can remember the situation. It was a game against Schalke and I wanted to make a tackle and then I felt something in my knee. Then I played until half-time and then I really couldn't go further. It was just a hard time. I think every player who is injured has a hard time, but it took me two years."

bundesliga.com: Did you doubt whether you could come back?

Sinkgraven: "Of course, especially when you think you're coming back and then it goes wrong again. Then you really think if it's ever going to be good again. Luckily it's good."

bundesliga.com: Has the injury changed you as a person?

Sinkgraven: "Yeah, it's really true. You enjoy the things you always enjoyed, but when you're coming back you're really thankful. Like, I can play again! It's a nice feeling. Of course you get stronger. You have to be more professional and before training you have to do your exercises."

bundesliga.com: What was it like having the Coronavirus?

Sinkgraven: "I didn't have any symptoms. The only thing, maybe, was a little bit of a cold in my nose, but I didn't really get sick or anything."

bundesliga.com: You have a baby at home. Were you afraid that your girlfriend or the baby would get sick too?

Sinkgraven: "I was really scared. My girlfriend and my son stayed in the same house, but we kept distance and I was wearing a mask the whole time so everything was okay."

bundesliga.com: As we've said, you're a father now. How does that change things?

Sinkgraven: "Amazing! It's the best feeling ever. The first time I saw him and held him. It was crazy."

bundesliga.com: You grew up with three sister, so you are a family man. Is that right?

Sinkgraven: "Yeah, it really is. I have three sisters, so now there is another boy."

Daley Sinkgraven is learning how to make his skills do the talking on the pitch. - Lars Baron/Getty Images

bundesliga.com: How well does Peter Bosz's playing philosophy suit yours as a player?

Sinkgraven: "It's good. Like I said before, at left-back you have a lot of opportunities to get the ball and go forward. That's what I liked from the start. I think that's also how we play. We like to play forward, attacking football. Pressure on the ball and get the ball as much as we want. For me, it's really nice, yeah."

bundesliga.com: What makes Leverkusen so attractive to young talented players?

Sinkgraven: "I think they're doing a great job signing young players. I think they get the chance here to improve. Like you said, those guys are really improving and showing how big of a talent they are. That's good for us and good for them."

bundesliga.com: Do you still consider yourself a young player?

Sinkgraven: "Not as a young player anymore. No, those times are over. I'm more experienced now, so I don't see myself as a young player, no."

Did you have a role model as a player?

Sinkgraven: "I didn't really have one player, like a role model, but I really like to see the stars like [Lionel] Messi, like [Cristiano] Ronaldo. Those guys and how they play, how they work, that's for me just the next steps."

bundesliga.com: Your father was also a professional footballer. What was it like growing up?

Sinkgraven: "I think he taught me the most from a young age. We always played football on the streets, on the field, so yeah he was like the first step."

bundesliga.com: Did your sisters always have to play with you?

Sinkgraven: "No, no, they didn't really like football back then. But my two youngest sisters are also playing football now, so that's really funny."

bundesliga.com: If you could steal one skill from another Bundesliga player, what would it be?

Sinkgraven: "I think I would like to head as well as [Wout] Weghorst, the Dutch guy. I'm not really good with my head, so that's what I want."

About the clubs

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

BayArena