England and Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend thriving on 'last chance' ahead of World Cup

England and Tottenham winger Andros Townsend is taking nothing for granted after seizing his 'last chance'

Grabbing his chance: Andros Townsend played a crucial role in England's qualification for the World Cup in Brazil Photo: GETTY IMAGES

This season represented one last chance for Andros Townsend: his final opportunity to prove whether he was good enough to thrive at the highest level.

It sounds harsh, given he is still just 22, yet this is an assessment that comes from the man himself, as he casts his mind back to the anxious days of summer.

“I thought it was the last chance saloon for me,” he explains. “After going on loan at QPR last season I’d proved myself in the Premier League so it was either now or never to see whether I was good enough. You saw them (Spurs) spending money on various different wingers so I knew when I got the chance I’d have to take it. Thankfully I did.”

That January loan to doomed QPR was the ninth of Townsend’s career — an incredible number of clubs for one so young — but also the final one. It will not happen again.

“Every time I’ve been on loan it’s been me that wanted to go out and play games and prove not only to myself but to the manager and other clubs that I am good enough,” Townsend says. “It’s not something where I’ve been forced out, I’m the one who has been initiating it.