Coventry City manager Aidy Boothroyd has praised Conor Thomas and believes the youngster has the attributes to carve out a glittering career.
The 17 year old made his senior debut for Coventry last week in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Crystal Palace last week and Aidy Boothroyd predicts a big future for his young midfielder.
"Conor is a terrific young player," said Boothroyd to the CT. "He moves the ball really well, he's a fantastic passer, which is something every team needs and he's very brave."
"When we talk about bravery we perhaps think of players going in for 50-50s or heading the back of another player's head, but there are different forms of bravery, like when you get on the ball and don't just get rid of it like a hot potato, you're comfortable enough in your own ability to use it."
"When you play against a team that has that bravery and confidence you get problems, you're not quite sure what they're going to do, so it's a great asset to have. Conor's got that and he's got a lot of quality. He's only just turned 17 and he's not ready to be starting games for us yet but we think a lot of him."
Boothroyd is in the fortunate position of being able to select promising players from Gregor Rioch's Academy squad this season. While Conor Thomas made his debut, fellow academy youngster half Nathan Cameron has established himself as a regular in the senior side. Callum Wilson and Michael Quirke have also been selected in Boothroyd's senior squads.
We've got a good Academy," said Bothroyd. "With a few boys that, given time and the chance to grow, will become very good players for us."
"The important thing is to make sure they have the right attitude because we live in this microwave society when people want everything at once and a lot of young players fall in love with the image of the game."
"They see the footballer's wives and the Ferraris and get more entranced with that - they want to look good rather than being good. It's really refreshing to see people who love football, want to play and want to get better."
"It's great to see that enthusiasm and hunger because that's how you don't just get into the team, you become a fans' favourite."