Pools frontman Mani Dieseruvwe hails West Brom loanee Reyes Cleary as "special"

Cleary, who turned 21 at the weekend, has enjoyed a blistering stint at the Prestige Group Stadium, scoring five goals in 16 games.

The youngster signed for Pools in January following a difficult spell at League Two promotion-chasers Walsall where he was reduced to just a handful of appearances.

Despite arriving with a reputation for being either a winger or a striker, much of Cleary's best work has come from wing-back, where he has scored all five of his goals and provided five assists.

They say to never fall in love with a loan player, but it's safe to say most Pools fans are head over heels with the West Brom star, who ranks alongside the likes of Luke Armstrong, Dan Kemp and Tyler Burey as one of the most exciting talents to grace the Prestige Group Stadium on loan in recent years.

Given his sparkling form, Pools supporters would love to be able to lure him back to the North East again next term, although at this stage that seems like a forlorn hope; Cleary, who is out of contract at West Brom in the summer, is hoping to do enough to earn a new deal at The Hawthorns, while Pools head coach Anthony Limbrick lauded him as a Football League player.

Certainly, Cleary looks to have a lot of the tools needed to thrive at a higher level. Blessed with broad shoulders and raw pace, his skill, creativity and flair have given a host of National League full-backs nightmares over the last few months. Importantly, he also seems to have a sensible head on his shoulders; after scoring a stunning goal against Eastleigh, he was seen signing autographs and posing for pictures with young fans long after the Silverlake Stadium had emptied.

Dieseruvwe, too, has been similarly impressed with Cleary's exploits. The popular Pools frontman, who has scored 40 goals in 82 appearances at the Prestige Group Stadium but missed a crucial penalty in Saturday's draw with relegation-threatened Dagenham and Redbridge, was full of praise for the West Brom man's talent.

"He's got a lot of potential," he said.

"Everyone around the squad can see how much ability he's got. We see it in training, he can pick the ball up on the edge of the box and put it in the top corner; not many players can do that. To have the kind of quality that he's got is a special thing.

"He's a young lad, he just needs to fine tune his game and find his feet wherever he ends up in his career. I think he's going to go on and do some special things."

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