Blues boss Paul Lambert says young striker Tyreece Simpson has done “really well” having been given his first taste of League One football in the last week.
The 18-year-old, who came close to signing a pro deal with Leicester Tigers rugby union side prior to joining the academy in the summer of 2018, made his first-team debut as a sub in the Leasing.com Trophy tie with Tottenham’s U21s earlier in the season, then came off the bench at Blackpool last Saturday and made his home league bow in the defeat to Fleetwood on Tuesday, again as a sub.
"He’s done really well,” Lambert said. "The kid has just turned 18-years-old. I’m led to believe the lad played rugby last year, but he’s fitted in really well.
"Quiet kid and really, really strong, helluva lot of to learn, helluva lot of development but that’s where we were, we only had Tyreece to put on. Let’s see how he develops over the next few years, but he's a strong, strong kid.”
Lambert says that physicality is currently what puts him ahead of former England U19 international frontman Ben Morris, 20, who only recently returned from an ACL injury.
"I think just physically at the minute, and I think that’s the way to view that,” he continued. "Ben is another one who had a really bad injury, but Tyreece just with the strength and the physicality probably edged it over Ben on that side of it.”