"Josh Grant is my favourite player by a mile," Joey Barton said after Bristol Rovers' win over Walsall on Saturday, which is why the manager has protecting the player's fitness among his top priorities.
Grant has shone for Rovers in his second season at the club, but the 23-year-old has been held back somewhat by injuries.
He missed the start of the season due to plantar fasciitis before a period out with a hamstring injury, but in between the frustrating spells on the sidelines, the former Chelsea prospect has been outstanding.
He has scored three goals – all from left-back and left wing-back – in 16 appearances for the Gas this season, but it is Grant's football intelligence and the versatility that gives him that explains Barton's fondness for the player.
WhoScored's data shows Grant has played in nine different positions this term, ticking off the entirety of defence and almost every station in midfield.
Grant may be just one player, but he covers many bases for Barton and he is low maintenance in doing so, underlining why the Rovers boss has put managing Grant's body through the second half of the campaign as one of his top priorities.
"His football IQ is top of the class and he gets ribbed by the lads for that because I have to tell Josh once," Barton said. "Sometimes I don’t even have to tell him, he just knows the next progression.
"He’s that clever. He’s that smart in terms of football IQ. You definitely want him on the park at every moment because he coaches the other players out on the pitch and he’s a great player as well which helps.
"But I think he can really go to the top level. I think he’s capable but we’ve got to build his body to deal with that. He’s worked really hard in the off-season.
"He looks lean. He’s dropped about 2kg, which will help all the tendons and those kind of injuries that he’s maybe picked up historically and we’ll just build that into him."
Grant played 84 minutes for the Gas in the 1-0 win against Walsall on Saturday, starting in midfield before moving to right-back. He was substituted after feeling tightness in his leg muscles and Rovers did not want to risk his long-term fitness.
Barton had hoped to sign another left-back on transfer deadline day to provide more cover for Grant, but Rovers were unable to get a deal across the line with Luke Robinson among their reported targets.
Therefore, Grant is likely to have fewer rest and rotation opportunities with Trevor Clarke recovering after groin surgery and Junior Brown out of favour.
Bristol Live asked Barton if it could come down to pre-planning Grant's schedule to ensure he is available for the most important games.
"It’s just about how he feels," Barton replied. "It’s pretty much about how he presents. We’ll monitor his load now every single day with the technology we have. "We train really intensely. If you ask any of the boys, my belief is train hard, fight easy.
"We won the league at Burnley off the back of that. Training is harder sometimes than matchdays and in the end your physical fitness, as you’ve seen, that’s another 90th-minute goal (against Walsall).
"We’re leading the division for goals in the late part of the game. After last season, no goals after 70 minutes, now we’ve got to build resilience and robustness into players and that just takes time. It takes a huge amount of time and then you’ve got to tweak for the individual within it.
"So, the sports science guys have got frameworks that they work off, but also you’ve got to deal with the individuals bespokely (sic) as you can."
Barton has backed Grant to thrive at a higher level, but the manager believes he needs to be managed correctly to get there.
The manager said: "If he’s going to get to the top level which I think he can, you have to be fit, strong and powerful. You have to go Saturday, Tuesday because it’s very much a running game when you start climbing the divisions.
"It’s our job to move him towards that and he’s getting better but because he’s so vital to the group and the team and such a good player, you want him out there all the time and Josh wants to be out there all the time.
"It’s just finding that balance, but we’ll get him where he can easily see off two and three games weekly. But he’s still building."
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