West Brom prospect Reyes Cleary training with first team
Valerien Ismael has confirmed promising striker Reyes Cleary has been training with Albion's first-team for the past few weeks.
But the boss says the 17-year-old has to get used to the intensity of senior football before he will make his Baggies debut.
Cleary has been in outstanding form for Albion's academy sides this season.
The forward has netted 10 goals in seven matches for the under-18s. And he has also scored seven goals in nine games for the under-23s.
That form has led to the teenager being linked with a move away with Bayern Munich, Schalke, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United all reportedly keen on the striker.
Albion, though, are in talks with the striker as he gets set to sign his first professional contract.
And Ismael sees the striker as a player with a bright future at the club.
"He (Cleary) has been training with the first-team now for a few weeks," the boss said.
"We needed to wait for the right time for him. But he has trained well.
"To improve he needs to get that intensity. Our games and the under-23 games are completely different in their intensity.
"Even, though, the under-23s try and play the same as the first-team with the same high press, the intensity in the first-team is completely different because it is throughout the 90 minutes.
"But otherwise it is a normal process, it is a normal situation with him.
"He is among the pool of players that we think in the future can be part of the first-team.
"I think Taylor (Gardner-Hickman) is the first-step in that direction. And now Reyes is part of the pool."
Cleary's goals at youth level have led to a lot of excitement amongst Albion's fans.
And under-23 boss Richard Beale believes the striker is a player with a lot of potential who 'can be anything he wants to be.'
“He’s a player we’ve got with lots of potential,” he said.
“It’s a big step up, obviously, to first-team football – Reyes knows that, he understands that, and every single day we are working to polish an uncut diamond
“If he keeps working hard and keeps his head, he has a mature head on his shoulders and he knows he needs to work hard, the bits he has to improve on. He can be anything he wants to be.
“It is a big step up to the first-team and he’s certainly got lots of work to do yet, but he’s in a good place.
"We’re really excited by his potential and what he could become.”
