There’s a lot to like about Jacob Wright. Philippe Clement agrees. But in this instance, his natural bullishness (which we love) has given way to caution.
Speaking to the Pink Un this week, City’s head coach laid out his thinking on the 20-year-old midfielder’s progress, as he discussed the player’s development beyond the current season.
Wright, who joined permanently from Manchester City last summer for an initial £2.3m on a four-year deal, has made 21 Championship appearances this season, totalling 1,031 minutes.
Two assists in the 2-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday last week were his best moments of the campaign so far, but Clement isn’t about to hand him the keys to the midfield.
“Jacob is just 20 and never played a full season at this level. Now he is doing a really good job,” Clement said. “His body is also still developing, so I need to manage that in a good way, and I need to pick also the right moments to do that.”
It’s, for sure, a decision that has been made easier by the blistering form of Kenny McLean and QPR loanee, Sam Field.
“You don’t speak with a 20-year-old”
What came through most clearly in Clement’s assessment was just how impressed he is with Wright’s mentality. We know he’s good with his feet, but the Belgian was equally impressed by what goes on in his head.
“If you speak with him you don’t speak with a 20 year old, but with a 26 or 27 year old,” Clement said. “I’m really happy with him. If you look at him and Kenny or Sam they’re all different and that’s why I like all of them. They’re all smart, they understand what you want from them. They see time and space in a good way.”
That chimes with what Sporting Director Ben Knapper said when the permanent deal was done last May, describing Wright as having “huge leadership potential” and calling it “an easy decision.”
Clement also pointed to Wright’s versatility. He’s played at 6, 8 and 10 this season, and his passing and vision were both described as “excellent.” For a lad who spent a decade in the Manchester City academy system, debuted in the Champions League, and then chose City over several other options, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. But it was nice to hear it confirmed by Clement.
The physical bit
The area where the Belgian sees room for growth is his physicality. Wright’s endurance is fine, and I suspect the data backs this up. But what he needs is a little more bite in those tight, contested areas of a Championship midfield.
“We need to get more speed, more power out of him in those duels,” Clement said. “That’s the next steps to take, but he’s doing very well.”
That explains why McLean and Field continually get the nod in central midfield, and in the win at Leicester last weekend, Wright was limited to a single minute off the bench. It’s managed, deliberate, and it makes sense.
“How many teams in the Championship are playing in the midfield with a 19 or 20 year old? Not many,” Clement said. “So he’s taking really good steps.”
He is. And with a contract running to 2029, plus a club option for another year, there’s plenty of time for the club and Wright himself to do this properly. He wants to be here. He said as much when he signed: “This is what I wanted when I moved here.”
The job now is to make sure the next steps are the (pardon the pun) the right ones and that they are taken in the right order. On the evidence of this week’s interview, Clement has a clear picture of what those steps look like.
A further reminder of the safe hands we are now in.
