John White has offered his gratitude to Aidy Boothroyd for resurrecting his career at Colchester.
Full-back grateful for change of manager at League One club
John White has offered his gratitude to new Colchester United manager Aidy Boothroyd for resurrecting his career at the League One club.
Boothroyd replaced Paul Lambert earlier this month and White has started every match under Colchester's new boss.
The full-back started the campaign out on loan at Southend United after struggling to make an impact during Lambert's tenure.
White, who has spent six years with the Us, concedes he could eventually have left the club on a permanent basis if there had not been a change at the helm.
"I felt I never got the chance to impress him (Lambert)," White told the
East Anglian Daily Times. "It wasn't that I was given the chance and messed it up, he just decided he didn't fancy me and that was that, I wasn't involved.
"The new manager has been like a breath of fresh air. It's nice for the forgotten players that were left disappointed by the old manager to feel wanted around the place again.
"I was very close to leaving - very, very close and that would have been heartbreaking because I've been at this club for such a long time.
"Thankfully the new manager came in at just the right time. Since he's come in there is a good buzz around the team and it's not just the starting XI, it's the whole playing squad. Everyone is being made to feel important and we have all been told that we will get our chance to play."
