Nineteen-year-old Jack Collison is the English Premier League club's second string leader and he says there is no better role model for the art of captaincy than the Socceroo international.

The teenager told www.whufc.com: "To captain the reserves was a great honour. I have really enjoyed captaining them.

"I learned a lot off Lucas Neill, watching the way he captains the first team. I think he did a really good job (last season) and I am just hoping to take a bit of that into what I do with the reserve team.

"On and off the pitch he sets a good example. He does a lot of work that not many people get to see.

"He organises a lot of team-building things, has a lot of meetings and makes sure everyone knows what is going on.

"It's good to have a captain like that. He is someone to look up to."