Hartlepool United loanee Reyes Cleary has hailed the influence of West Bromwich Albion pair Chris Brunt and Deon Burton on his development.

The talented 20-year-old, who agreed to extend his stay at the Prestige Group Stadium until the end of the season on Wednesday, has made an impressive impact since signing for Pools last month. Cleary has scored once in eight appearances, hit the woodwork three times, created a host of chances for his teammates and caught the eye with his pace, power and skill.

Following a difficult stint at League Two leaders Walsall at the beginning of the campaign when he was reduced to just seven appearances, only featuring three times from the bench in the league, Cleary is determined to do enough to earn a new deal at The Hawthorns. With his current contract in the West Midlands set to expire in the summer, the young winger knows the next few months will likely be crucial in convincing the Baggies to offer him new terms.

And Cleary has hailed the influence of West Brom's legendary former midfielder and current loan manager Chris Brunt as well as under-23s boss Deon Burton. Brunt, who made more than 400 appearances for the Baggies, helped engineer the move to Pools while Burton, a former striker who turned out for the likes of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic and won 62 international caps for Jamaica, has worked closely with the popular Pools loanee.

Pools loanee Reyes Cleary has hailed the influence of West Brom legend Chris Brunt as well as former Jamaica international Deon Burton on his fledgling career so far. Picture by Frank Reid.

placeholder image — Pools loanee Reyes Cleary has hailed the influence of West Brom legend Chris Brunt as well as former Jamaica international Deon Burton on his fledgling career so far. Picture by Frank Reid.

"Chris Brunt was the assistant manager of the under-23s and then he switched to become the loans manager," Cleary said.

"He saw that I was progressing well in the Premier League 2 and worked hard to get some loan options for me. He's probably been the biggest help and influence. The progression in the Premier League 2 has been great, but I needed a different kind of challenge. He sorted the Walsall move out. That didn't quite go to plan, it was a tough period. Then he found that Hartlepool was interested, and I jumped at the chance to go.

"Deon Burton has been a big help. He always praises me about the things I do well, but he's always pushing me to improve and do certain things a lot better. Being a former striker, he's helped me a lot. Both of them have been amazing for my career so far."