Town boss Mick McCarthy says future Premier League centre-half Adam Webster is “an absolute joy to watch when he strides out with the ball”. The increasingly confident 21-year-old, who came closest to ending Town's goalless streak during Saturday's 0-0 draw at Blackburn, brought the ball out of defence on numerous occasions at Ewood Park.
"He reminds me of me when I played in my pomp, striding out with a centre forward on my foot, not the ball,” McCarthy joked.
"No, he’s much better at that and more cultured than I ever was. But I’ll tell you what he did do, he defended. He won all the headers and he tackled and he handled all that because I think Sam Gallagher and Marvin Emnes are a handful and he kept dropping in.
"I thought he was excellent at that but he’s an absolute joy to watch when he strides out with the ball. You don’t think he’s going to lose it, you always think he’s going to find a pass.”
McCarthy, who signed Webster from Portsmouth for £750,000 with Matt Clarke moving in the opposite direction, believes the former England U18 and U19 international has a very big future ahead of him.
"I think he’s a Premier League footballer in the making,” McCarthy reiterated. "I hope it’s with us, but if not he’ll play there.
"And if he does end up going there he’ll go for a lot of money because I look at the fees that people pay for defenders and he’s got the potential to be top drawer.
"I won’t be making him big-headed, he’s got his feet on the ground, he’s a lovely young fella as well.”
Webster was widely viewed as Town’s man of the match on Saturday, a display which would have been capped with a first-half winning goal but for an excellent Jason Steele save.
"You don’t always get the golden chocolate bar, do you?” McCarthy added. "He’s played well. You don’t always get the Willy Wonka bar.”
Webster’s header would have ended Town’s goalless streak which has now stretched to five games, eight hours and seven minutes of football since Luke Varney netted in the 1-0 win at Derby last month, the Blues’ last victory.
Town’s record goalless run is seven games between February and April of the 1994/95 Premier League relegation season - which included the 9-0 loss at Manchester United and was part of a run of eight successive league defeats - while the current spell is the longest since a barren streak of six matches - one in the FA Cup - in January and February of the 2006/07 campaign.
Saturday's 0-0 draw was Town's fourth of the season. Last year six Blues games ended goalless - although none by this point in the campaign - while the club record is eight in 1971/72.