I think it's mainly confidence. It took him a long while to bed in at Blackburn for the same reason. I think he was more intent on doing nothing wrong than actually being proactive. Think about it: you haven't been given a chance for a while so if you make mistakes it could be another long while. If you play it safe you remain an option. But, as you suggest, maybe that's the way he was encouraged to play.
From the brief highlights I saw on MOTD at the weekend, he appears to be playing quite far up the pitch for Blackburn.
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