DeAndre Yedlin says he has improved as a defender under Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce this season.
Yedlin joined the Black Cats on a season-long loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer and has made 18 appearances in all competitions, starting 14 league games.
The 22-year-old plays as winger under United States head coach Jurgen Klinsmann but he has primarily been used as a right-back by Allardyce and his predecessor Dick Advocaat.
The former Seattle Sounders player, who made just one appearance for Tottenham after joining in January 2015 -- a brief cameo in the defeat to Aston Villa -- after joining in January 2015, has been praised for his attacking instincts but feels he has made huge strides at the other end of the pitch under Allardyce.