Steve Morison has told Rubin Colwill exactly what he needs to do to nail down a regular starting spot at Cardiff City.
The 19-year-old is the club's joint-top scorer this season with five goals, the latest of which came off the bench against Liverpool at Anfield in the FA Cup on Sunday.
He is certainly a player who excites and has the ability to get bums off seats, which is why supporters seem to be so desperate to see more of him.
Colwill has been reduced to largely cameo appearances off the bench of late. In fact, the last game he started was the 2-2 draw with Birmingham City on December 11.
He has shown his quality on the ball but has also been inconsistent, too. There is no doubt the Wales international has the potential to be a top player at Championship level or even beyond, but Morison has laid bare the aspects of his game which need to improve if he is to crowbar his way into the side moving forward.
"Rubin Colwill is excellent in that transitional phase when we have the ball," Morison said when asked about the player by WalesOnline.
"For him to be a top, top player, a regular starter in the Championship, he needs to be better without the ball. It's very clear.
"He knows that, we know that. Until he gets better without the ball and understands the work you need to put in to give yourself the most opportunities to be able to do what you do going the other way, then he'll still be an impact [player], like on Sunday.
"He needs to also add to his game assists and key passes.
"He has scored five goals this year, it was a great goal at the weekend, but to be a top, top player, you look at other players in the Championship who play in his type of role, they will be high up in the assist charts, high up in the goal charts and they do the other side of the game really well."
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One of the more onerous tasks the management have had to undertake this year is how and when to use the sheer volume of youngsters and academy players in the squad.
There will always be fans who want certain players to play and Colwill seems to be at the forefront for many. However, Morison used an apt comparison to how Pep Guardiola managed Phil Foden when discussing the development of young stars.
"They need to be bled in, dribs and drabs. They need to be taken out and brought back in," Morison added.
"The best at it was Phil Foden under Pep Guardiola. Everyone is calling for them to play every week.
"We know what’s the best for the players . Even they don’t know what’s best for them.
"We will manage them in the best way to make sure that in the longevity of this football club and for the longevity of their careers, they are in a much better place."
In this passing transfer window, Liverpool showed real interest in Fulham attacker Fabio Carvalho.
The young forward is the same age as Colwill, 19, but Morison said there is a reason there are so keen on the Portuguese.
It's that all-round game on which Colwill needs to work and when that all comes together, the manager believes Cardiff will have a real player on their hands.
"You look at Fabio Carvalho who looks like he is going to Liverpool. You look at how hard Liverpool work and what they do, they will have earmarked him because of his whole game not just his end product," the manager said.
"We look at the game in a completely different way to how fans look at it. Fans see a 15-minute cameo and a great goal, which it was, but there is a lot more to it.
"He understands where he is and he knows. We have had many discussions, we're not just leaving him out for the sake of leaving him out. He understands and that's why he has been more of an impact player under myself than a starter.
"When we look at the games he's been left out. You look at the subs... we didn't take him to Barnsley because we didn't see him getting on the pitch. But I could see possibly ending up with James Collins and Uche [Ikpeazu] on the pitch, so I needed that cover more than Rubin, because of the type of game.
"There's a lot of thought that goes into it.
"Ultimately, he is 19 years old. He has got a hell of a lot of time. But I tell you what, he will be a much better player next season.
"Off the back of this season, he will definitely be one to watch."
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