Charlton can't hit the target

Charlton were 18th in the Championship, still seven points above Leicester in the first relegation position after today's 0-1 defeat at The Valley by Wrexham.    Ollie Rathbone's fine first-half strike earned them victory over Charlton Athletic at the Valley.

The superb 30th-minute effort – Rathbone's sixth in the Championship since returning from injury in December – ensured Phil Parkinson's side retained a four-point cushion over the sides chasing a top-six spot.

But the Addicks could have every right to feel hard done by after carving out the game's best chances, only to fail to find the net and make it four games without a win.   Wrexham needed a brilliant 90th-minute save from goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo to deny Sonny Carey as their unbeaten away run extended to a sixth game.

Even before Rathbone's opener - a superb flick and skidding volley - three times Charlton had found themselves in space inside the Wrexham box, and three times they returned without joy.  Luke Berry had taken a second too long to pull the trigger to allow Issa Kabore to block superbly. Then former Addick George Dobson threw himself at the ball to stop Carey.

There was no visiting player for Harry Clarke to blame when he got his angles wrong and skewed wide when he really should have scored as Charlton's counter continued to cause problems.

But an encouraged Valley was collectively shaking its head just moments later as Rathbone did with half a chance what the hosts had failed to do with far better opportunities.  It came as Callum Doyle's cross was headed away to the edge of the area where Rathbone proceeded to flick the ball away from the defender and on to his left foot before his volley skimmed into the far corner.

Lewis O'Brien should have doubled Wrexham's lead four minutes after the restart when he met Kieffer Moore's cross, but Kayne Ramsay did well to thwart the danger.

Yet while Wrexham had improved after the break, Charlton again could blame a lack of clinical edge as a string of openings were not finished off, a wayward header from Tyreece Campbell the most glaring.And when Carey did hit one on target, they found Okonkwo at full stretch and at his best to protect Wrexham's result.   

Disappointed supremo Nathan Jones told Richard Cawley: “It was a dominant performance - we were excellent in how we moved the ball.We limited them to just counter-attacks…..bearing in mind they have got some very, very good players. But good sides find a way to win games. I watched them in midweek - Portsmouth had all the possession and they (Wrexham) were clinical and scored in the moments they needed to."

“They weren’t just half-chances we created today - they were clear cut. Bezza’s chance is unbelievable. I expect him to score that, because that is the player he is. Harry Clarke’s chance is gilt-edged. TC (Tyreece Campbell) and Miles (Leaburn) have chances. So does Collins (Sichenje). Sonny Carey….the keeper makes an unbelievable save at the end.“

"The stats said we only had 12 shots - I couldn’t believe that. I don’t think you’ll see a more dominant display."  But Jones emphasised the importance of taking your chances.

It's soccer ball time at The Valley

Much as I find the football coverage of the New York Times enjoyable and interesting, I do find their obsession with Wrexham irritating.  They get more coverage than any other EFL club and more than some top flight teams.

However, it has to be admitted that Wrexham have a big following among soccer ball fans in the US.  It's not just the injection of cash that they have had, it is the way they have leveraged this, albeit using their Hollywood connections, to create a global brand.

This has been achieved in a rather remote city in North Wales, although one that has had a rather colourful history (counterfeit notes come to mind, but also a famous victory over Arsenal).  I think that many local people would admit that Wrexham has faced economic and social challenges.

It does have a university, but according to some figures I saw recently, its graduates have the second lowest value added in terms of post graduation income.

The point is that the owners have used this challenging context as an asset rather than a liability   Instead of complaining, other clubs might see what they can learn from them.

Anyway on the football front, American soccer ball fans have been told that former Addicks manager Phil Parkinson has some injury problems that have led him to tweak his formation, giving a greater to former Addick George Dobson.    

Ben Sheaf and Matty James have been ideally suited to the 3-4-2-1 box midfield setup favoured by Parkinson since Christmas, bringing a level of control against other play off hopefuls during a holiday period that thrust Wrexham into the promotion race via four straight wins.

But now Wrexham are needing to cope without both Sheaf and James, since the latter broke his toe in the February 7 home defeat to Millwall. No return date has been set for James, 34, whose recovery has suffered a slight setback.   “It’s a real blow,” said Parkinson after confirming Sheaf is facing up to 10 weeks out with medial ligament damage, potentially taking him up to the final day of the season. 

His solution against Portsmouth was to partner Lewis O’Brien with George Dobson in the holding roles. The duo could be happy with their first-half efforts but could not stem the tide of Portsmouth attacks following a tactical reshuffle by the visitors at the break, as Gus Caballero was withdrawn and the lively Adrian Segecic brought on.

Only in the closing stages did Parkinson turn to Zak Vyner, the January signing from Bristol City, to see out a game in which Wrexham had been forced to defend 11 corners in the second 45 minutes and repel six shots on goal.

“You have to factor in Matty’s broken toe and then losing Ben on Saturday,” said Parkinson. “A lesser group would have maybe let that rock them but we didn’t   We didn’t quite get the control we wanted. But sometimes football is about finding a way to win. We did that really well tonight."

CAS Trust refer to criticism of the manager's defenisve tactics: https://www.castrust.org/2026/02/the-circus-comes-to-town/

Another away point

Charlton remain 17th in the Championship, seven points above the relegation positions, after drawing 1-1 with the Bagges at The Hawthorns this evening.   'Last ditch' Dykes scored the second half equaliser and was named player of the match.

West Bromwich Albion's winless run in the Championship stretched to 10 games as they were held to a draw by Charlton.

Albion had not scored in their last four Championship outings but led at the break after George Campbell climbed highest at the back post to head in Alex Mowatt's corner in first-half stoppage time.  The hosts spurned several chances to extend their advantage, with Josh Maja and Isaac Price both missing good openings.

Charlton then made them pay on 70 minutes as Lyndon Dykes raced on to Kayne Ramsay's pass and calmly finished between Max O'Leary's legs to earn the visitors a point.   The result leaves the Baggies just one point above the relegation zone and increases the pressure on head coach Eric Ramsay, who has been in charge for the last eight matches.   He succumbed to the curse of Charlton immediately after the game.

Campbell's header capped a dominant first half in which the hosts had more than 60% possession and six shots to Charlton's one.  Maja squandered the clearest opportunity to make it 2-0 when he was sent through one-on-one in the 52nd minute by a delightful Mowatt through ball but the striker slid wide. That was before Price somehow blazed over from inside the area after a good run and pass from Jayson Molumby in the 69th minute.

They paid the price a minute later when Dykes ran on to a ball over the top from Ramsay to equalise  Whilst the Baggies remain 21st in the table, Charlton's 11th draw of the season means they stay in 17th on 41 points from 34 games.

One fan summed it up as not a good performance but a great result, particularly given that Blackburn lost

at home to Bristol City and Portsmouth lost at Wrexham.

Average rating

A good time to visit the Black Country?

Clearing out my house, I found this photo with Curbs.  It was on the front of a personal card sent by Alan wishing me well after I had my first ever adult admission to hospital 20 years or so ago.

Alan Curbishley always tried not to get too excited about the highs and too down about the lows, although I know that a good result saw him opening a bottle from the crate of champagne I sent him each Christmas.

I welcomed the spirited performance at Southampton on Saturday.  At least it kept the moaners quiet for a bit.  However, I think that the Baggies away on Tuesday night is another tough six pointer, albeit West Brom are third from bottom in the form table.

However, they have lost just five games at the Hawthorns, drawing five and winning six.  We have won just three games away, but drawn six.   Right now I would settle for a point.

After the weekend defeat at home to Coventry, shell shocked supremo Ramsay ignored chants of 'Your football is ****' and said that it was a case of grinding away.'   He felt that his players lacked conviction.

Richard Cawley writes: Albion have lost 17 of their 33 Championship matches this season - their most defeats in a second-tier campaign since 1999-00 (also 17).

There had already been reports prior to Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Coventry City that it was a make-or-break week for Baggies head coach Eric Ramsay, who has failed to win any of his eight matches at the helm since replacing Ryan Mason.

“There’s no easy answer to our position and if there was an easy answer, someone would have arrived at it by now,” said Ramsay, 34. “We have to make sure we keep the approach, where we grind away, we don’t get distracted, we make sure we push the messages we feel are important day to day and that the group responds to those.”

When you look at the level of unrest in the West Brom fan base - there were chants for Ramsay to be sacked during the fixture against the Sky Blues - along with the fact they have lost seven times in a winless 11-game sequence, it feels like the right moment to be heading to the West Midlands.But this is the Championship. You think you know the script and then the plot takes a Machiavellian twist.'

Useless fact: The Hawthorns is the highest English ground in terms of altitude.

'We are staying up'

That was the chant of the Addickted after a 1-1 draw at Southampton this afternoon.   Charlton are currently 17th in the Championship.

Sonny Carey equalised for Charlton in the second half after the home side went ahead.   They then tried to throw the kitchen sink at Charlton, but the Addicks resisted the pressure.  Carey drilled a shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net from the edge of the box.

10 minutes was added on to the second half, but although Southampton huffed and puffed, they were unable to take advantage of the referee's timekeeping.

“Carey had told Richard Cawley: 'I think we can use it as motivation,” Carey said when asked about coming up against opposition that inflicted heavy damage last time around. “After what happened in the home game, the gaffer said we need to bury it, forget about it, but at the back of your mind use it as fuel to go and put in a performance.

“We know that day was a very bad day and that we need to put that right at the weekend.”

Southampton went close in the opening moments when Tom Fellows floated a cross to the back post, where Scienza was in space to send a right-footed effort at goal that was cleared off the line by a diving Lloyd Jones.

Ryan Manning also went close for the hosts when he struck the crossbar with a curling effort just before the half-hour mark.

Saints came close again moments later, when a corner was flicked on by defender Amari'i Bell to James Bree at the back post and he failed to keep his header down.

They took the lead early in the second half, when Scienza crossed the ball into the box from the left and his in-swinging pass found the head of Stewart, who glanced the ball into the net.

The Addicks found an equaliser with just over 20 minutes remaining.

Greg Docherty aimed a pass across the top of the box to Carey, who took a touch before shooting low past keeper Daniel Peretz.

Flynn Downes and Conor Coady came face-to-face in the final 10 minutes, with a melee breaking out among players in the moments afterwards.

The Charlton fans wanted Southampton's Downes sent off for what they thought was a headbutt, but referee John Busby only produced a yellow card before both Downes and Coady were substituted immediately after.

Southampton pushed for a winner, pumping balls into the box to try to find a goal, but the Charlton defence held strong.   Richard Cawley reported: 'The Addicks absolutely stood up to heavy late pressure from the home team.Lloyd Jones absolutely superb - 23 defensive contributions. Got his head on so much when it really mattered. Big point and nicely sets up the trip to WBA.'

Fans praised the contribution of debutante Collins Sichenge who put his body in front of everything. Fans chanted: 'We've got a big ****ing Kenyan.'

Nathan Jones told Richard Cawley: “We let ourselves down sometimes but it is our first year at this level - look at what we’re coming up against. Structurally we were good and tactically we had to be good. I would have liked us to be a little braver and shown a bit more quality in the moments we had, right at the end we might’ve even nicked it if Miles (Leaburn) could just play (Charlie) Kelman clean in. But would we have taken a point before the game? Absolutely."

Stats favour Saints

The stats make bleak reading for tomorrow's clash at St. Mary's.   Congratulations to Jonathan Grade and the other supporters who are prepared to make the journey to the south coast.

The Saints are in fine form with three wins on the bounce and four victories in their past five (D1) to move within two points of the top six going into the weekend.

The Addicks are seven points clear of the relegation zone with three wins in their past seven games (D1 L3), having won just one of 11 previously (D3 L7).

Southampton won 5-1 away to Charlton in November of this season and could win home and away against them in a league campaign for the first time since 1989-90, which came in the top-flight.

Southampton have won both of their home games against promoted sides in the league this season (2-1 v Wrexham and 3-1 v Birmingham) – they last won three in a Championship campaign in 2007-08 (v Blackpool, Scunthorpe and Bristol City). 

Southampton are unbeaten in their past five league games (W4 D1), winning each of the past three on the bounce.

Charlton Athletic have won just one of their past 10 away league games (D3 L6), though that win came in their most recent game on the road (2-0 at Leicester).

Charlton have scored 11 goals via substitutes in the Championship this season, with only Ipswich Town scoring more (12). Indeed, both of Charlton's league goals in February came from substitutes (Tyreece Campbell vs Stoke and Jayden Fevrier vs Portsmouth).

I still remember our first game in the Premier League when we beat Southampton 5-1, albeit their keeper was sent off.  I think it was a 0-0 at Southampton when I got 50p coins thrown at me on the way to the station.

CAS Trust admit that 'it's a tough challenge' and are unsure which Charlton will turn up: https://www.castrust.org/2026/02/rebound-on-the-south-coast/

One thing we can be sure of is that the armchair managers will be busy on social media after the game.

Saints alive

Mercurial manager Nathan Jones faces his nemesis at Southampton tomorrow for the first time since his departure from the club.   Visits to the south coast have not worked out well for the Addicks this season and the pasting at home by the Saints was a humiliation.

A son-in-law who is a Saints season ticket holder remarked that 'the Nathan Jones effect didn't last long' but given that Charlton's budget is either the lowest in the league or the third lowest, depending on your source, anything above the relegation positions is a plus.

Jones told Richard Cawley about Sr. Mary's: “I’m looking forward to going back there. It’s a wonderful stadium. One thing is that I should take the pressure off the players - because I think all the comments and things will be on me. So my players should be free to play. Absolutely (he prefers that scenario). I’m not sure I’m taking my daughter to the game, but that is probably the only thing.”

Charlton produced a disastrous first-half showing in the reverse fixture against Southampton.They trailed 5-1 at the interval and conceded four goals in the space of eight minutes.

The Addicks now get the chance to make amends but face opposition that are one of the division’s form teams and still firmly in the mix to reach the play-offs.

Jones, talking about the heavy reverse at The Valley, said: “It hurt. It hurt us as a football club. It was on Sky. To lose in that manner hurt us as a team. It hurt me, individually, for every reason. I don’t need to explain those."

Jones admits supporter row

Talking to Richard Cawley, shell shocked supremo Nathan Jones was asked about the mention after the match of Jones exchanging words with a supporter in the Covered End before he left the pitch.

“Nothing, just a disagreement,” said the Welshman. “Just a fan who wants to vent. He pays his money, so he can do exactly what he wants. I disagree with what he said but that’s fine. It wasn’t anything structural, it was personal."

I'm not quite sure what 'structural' means in this context.   The mercurial manager would be best advised not to exchange views with fans after a home defeat.

There have been some unconfirmed social media reports of tensions between fans after the match, e.g., aggression towards fans wanting to applaud the team.

It's possible to take a sense of entitlement too far and a sense of perspective is needed.  With the third lowest budget in a highly competitive league (see the article in today's Times) anything above third from bottom is a satisfactory outcome.

I am still waiting for the 'Jones out now crowd' to come up with the name of a better available manager other than retreads Bowyer and Powell who know a poisoned chalice when they see one.   We don't have a pile of spare cash to compensate Jones.

Survival hopes setback

The Addicks were defeated 1-3 by Portsmouth at The Valley this evening.

Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski was at fault for Portsmouth's opener, allowing Devlin's ambitious dipping strike from 20 yards to squirm through his legs midway through the first half.

Colby Bishop's penalty doubled Pompey's advantage in the 35th minute before Devlin smashed in an excellent swerving effort via the post from 25 yards 11 minutes into the second half.

Stockport loanee Jayden Fevrier pulled one back for Charlton with a fine half-volley but John Mousinho's side held on for victory to move four points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand, while Charlton remain seven points above Leicester City in 22nd.

Fitting tributes were paid to the late Charlton fan Barker, also known as 'headphones Norm', with a one-minute applause held in his memory before the game.

Harry Clarke had an excellent opportunity to put Charlton ahead after just 38 seconds when he latched onto a long ball forward and hit the target with a first time effort from 16 yards out but was well denied by Portsmouth goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid.

The Addicks had not conceded in their past three games, but Kaminski's error from Devlin's long-range strike gifted Pompey the lead in the 22nd minute to set the visitors on their way to just a third away win of the season from 15 games on the road.

Charlton felt they were hard done by for the penalty award for Portsmouth's second 12 minutes later, claiming left-back Amari'i Bell could not get out the way of a powerful cross by Gustavo Caballero, on his full debut, before  former Leamington ace Colby Bishop slotted down the middle from the spot.

After Devlin arrowed in his fifth goal of the season to become Pompey's joint top goalscorer, the Addicks rallied and threatened to create a tense finale when Fevrier pounced on a long throw-in to reduce the deficit with a fine spin and finish 25 minutes from time.

But Portsmouth stood firm for a rare away win and completed the league double over Charlton for the first time since 1985-86.

With only nine goals in 14 away games beforehand and 13 first team players missing through injury, victory could serve as a much-needed confidence boost for Portsmouth in their quest to stay up.

Defeat for Nathan Jones' side ended their three-game unbeaten run and consigned them to only a second loss on home soil in the past seven matches at The Valley.

Nathan Jones told BBC Radio London: "We were poor tonight. We were poor in moments. We had a glorious opportunity after the first minute which would have really set the tone for the night.

"Then we got dominated physically between both boxes. I can moan about the goals because it's gone straight through our goalkeeper, shouldn't go in.

"Second one, it's a penalty that's touched his chest first and then handball. And then they scored another one from distance.

"We have chances from five yards, we probably had better chances on the night but in between both boxes, we got dominated physically and that's not like us."

Relegation six pointer

Charlton currently lead the Championship Relegation League, but face six pointer at home to Portsmouth at The Valley tonight.   Blackburn, under new management, are now just one point behind the Addicks, having managed to probe the defensive weaknesses of the Super Hoops at the weekend.   Despite being the chosen club 'C' list West London celebs (aka Giles Coren), QPR are very erratic.

Pompey don't have the best of away records, having won just two, drawn five and lost seven.   They have scored just nine goals and conceded 23, more than any other clubs apart from the Baggies and the Massives.

After their 0-1 defeat to the Blades on Saturday, gaffer John Mourinho admitted they didn't show enough composure in front of goal and slashed at a few opportunities.   He noted that tonight's game at Charlton was the biggest one between now and the end of the season for the club in 21st place.

CAS Trust look back to the sad circumstances of the postponement of the original game: https://www.castrust.org/2026/02/charlton-welcome-portsmouth-on-tuesday/

There are no trains from Dartford or Medway for tonight's game: https://www.castrust.org/2026/02/no-trains-from-dartford-or-medway-for-portsmouth-game/

CAS Trust object strongly to the draft of the Local Plan for the Royal Borough of Greenwich as they feel that it does not give sufficient protection to The Valley: https://www.castrust.org/2026/02/cast-urges-rb-greenwich-to-recognise-and-protect-the-valley/

How Yann Kermorgant joined Charlton

Richard Cawley has published the latest instalment of the informative Peter Varney diaries on his Substack page,   Here is a small taster about the recruitment of Yann Kermorgant.

Chris was very keen on Yann Kermorgant at Leicester. There was a massive negativity around Yann. We looked at the Leicester forums. You didn’t have a Leicester fan that had a good word to say about Yann because he missed the penalty in the play-offs where he tried to chip it.   Chris said: “Trust me, this guy has the potential to go all the way through the leagues.”

We were up to our £4.2m budget. We only had £3,000 a week left. Yann was on £6,000 at Leicester. He had a French agent, Gregory, and we threw around certain ideas how money could be recovered if we got promoted.

Once it was all agreed, Yann came in and said: “Now you’ve got me we will get promoted. It’s as simple as that - there won’t be any issue with it.”

'More clubs than Tiger Woods'

Former Addicks striker Macauley Bonne is seeking to relaunch his football career at Billericay Town, Isthmian Premier League promotion hopefuls.  I lived in Billericay when I was at secondary school and I don't recall many barn doors in the surrounding countryside.

But Blues boss Danny Scopes is hopeful Bonne can lead them to promotion at New Lodge.  

The 30-year old front man recently played three international matches for Zimbabwe in the African Nations Cup in Morocco.   He described playing for The Warriors against teams like Angola as one of the best experiences of his career.

A season in non-league with Southend yielded just five goals in 30 appearances.   He then joined Maldon & Tiptree but lasted just two months at the ambitious Jammers.

Bonne admitted, 'I know I am a bit of a journeyman.  I've had more clubs than Tiger Woods.'

'As long as I'm kicking a ball and playing with a smile on my face, I'm happy', Bonne told today's Non-League Paper.

His reported fee when he joined the Addicks was around £200,000.

Lisbie lands first managerial post

Congratulations to Kevin Lisbie on landing his first managerial role at Pitching In Isthmian League Premier Division side Cray Valley PM.    Super Kev formerly played for them.

Other members of the Lisbie football family are busy banging in the goals.   Having been recruited fm the non-league Kyrell Lisbie is finding the net for Peterborough, including a recent hat trick: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c75engezdq9o

Kyereece Lisbie is a forward with Colchester United and has scored ten goals this season.

The Lisbie family cat is called Kat.

Attendance slump alarms analysts

Increasing concerns have been expressed about the attendance of under 15,000 at Wednesday's match against Stoke City.

VOTV editor Rick Everitt has stated: '1,112 Stoke fans - if the club’s recent claim of 12,500 season tickets is correct, that would suggest the #cafc home ticket sale for this game was circa 1,000 (allowing for unavoidable comps). That is really dire, even allowing for the run of games and circs. Sky doesn’t help.

Don’t think there are any easy answers to this. Actual crowd was much lower than 14,836 due to absent STs. Affordability is a factor for sales with three home games in 12 days, but I’ve never been persuaded you can price people in to night matches - you can certainly price them out.'

Addicks swoop for Antonio

Richard Cawley reports that Charlton are in negotiations to sign former West Ham United striker Michail Antonio, thus filling the last vacant slot in the 25 man squad.

The 35-year-old striker, the Hammers' all-time record Premier League goalscorer, has been a free agent since June. Antonio had been training with Leicester City in December.

He suffered a broken leg, fracturing his femur in four places, in a car crash in December 2024, requiring four bolts to be inserted in his thigh.   Antonio went back to see his wrecked Ferrari, which smashed into a tree in Epping Forest, after surgery.   

"It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. It just made me realise how close I was to dying. I had seen the pictures but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess. It was difficult for me,” he told BBC Sport in March 2025.

Leicester thought he would be some time before he was match fit.

It was good to see Charlton's goal against Stoke on BBC Midlands last night and not accompanied by the usual 'humorous' remarks about 'Charlton Pathetic' or 'Charlton were anything but athletic.'

To the Londoners 1-0

Tyreece Campbell came off the bench to grab an 81st-minute winner for Charlton Athletic as the Addicks edged out Stoke at The Valley to pull away from the Championship relegation zone.

Campbell's winner moved Nathan Jones' side seven points clear of danger as Stoke's winless run was extended to six games.

The visitors had their chances but it was Campbell's cool finish after Ashley Phillips was left flat-footed by Lyndon Dykes' flick-on which settled the contest.

It was a sweet victory for Nathan Jones who had ten months in charge at Stoke in 2019, and he milked the moment with his energetic celebrations leading to an on-field confrontation with Potters coach Ryan Shawcross.

Charlton made the early running, almost taking the lead in the sixth minute when defender Harry Clarke hit the crossbar with a powerful header from a corner.

Stoke defender Phillips was then forced to clear desperately with his head from Dykes' lob and Lloyd Jones missed another good chance.

However Stoke came into the game more as the half wore on with the dangerous Jesurun Rak-Sakyi striking the bar against his former club after being put in by Lamine Cisse.

Charlton were also fortunate not to concede a penalty in the 29th minute when Sorba Thomas' cross from the left struck the arm of Liverpool loanee Luke Chambers but referee Anthony Backhouse remained unmoved.

Thomas was a constant thorn in Charlton's side down the left but Stoke's frontline failed to get on the end of a series of inviting crosses, much to the frustration of the Wales international.

Instead it was the home side who grasped the moment with a route-one winner.  Campbell, on for Matty Godden who was withdrawn after an hour, raced through to score after Dykes had nodded on Thomas Kaminski's goal kick to score the decisive goal.

Charlton remain 18th on goal difference behind Sheffield United and Norwich also on 39 points.

Avatar Desmond from Deal commented: 'I was hoping that Jones would be the second manager in London to get his P45 today, but once again he has got lucky.'

Nathan Jones said: "I thought we deserved it. I had a feeling about TC (Tyreece Campbell) tonight after last Friday night's game where I didn't feel he was at it. I gave him a little bit of a chat and I just had a feeling about him tonight.

"If he realises how good he is and gets his mental side of everything right, then the kid can go all the way.

"He moves like a Premier League player. How he controls things, how he shifts, how he runs - he has all the physical attributes to be that. It's just up to us to bring that together."