Matt Turner has spoken about his battle to maintain his mental sharpness amid an extended spell on the bench at Nottingham Forest.
Turner began the season as Forest’s starter, but the U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper would eventually lose his position twice during the course of the season.
The second time saw Forest sign Matz Sels from Strasbourg in February, and the Belgium international immediately consigned Turner to the bench on a more permanent basis.
After Sels arrived, Turner didn’t play again in the Premier League, and made just two FA Cup appearances the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Turner is now with the USMNT, where he is still expected to be the team’s starter this summer during the Copa América.
The 29-year-old spoke to the media from camp on Wednesday, opening up on how he aimed to maintain his focus amid a difficult period at his club.
“Fortunately, but also unfortunately for me, it’s not the first time I’ve had to go through periods like that in my life and my career,” Turner said.
“So for me, I approach training every single day with the same mentality whether I’m playing or whether I’m not. I work really, really hard. I try to get better in every area that I can and just be ready.
“I prepare for games like I’m going to be playing, as exhausting as that can be — that hope that maybe my name will be on the teamsheet for that game. Even though I know probably in the back of my mind it’s not, I prepare like maybe it will be. What if it is?”
Turner added that part of his motivation for continuing to put every ounce of himself into club training is his desire to maintain his starting role with the USMNT.
Even with sporadic club minutes, Turner has held onto the U.S. starting position since the 2022 World Cup.
“I try to just maintain that level of professionalism every single day, every training session and just keep going and understanding that obviously, if I want to keep this shirt here (with the USMNT), I’ve got to perform when I come here,” he said. “So I have to stay engaged, I have to stay ready and focused and driven.”
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