Birmingham City teenager Odin Bailey has claimed he wants to emulate the success of Jude Bellingham and breakthrough into the Blues first team.
Bellingham made his first-team debut for the club this season and has made a quick impact, appearing in four Championship games and scoring the winner for Pep Clotet’s side twice.
Bailey has also been given his first taste of senior football in the 2019/20 campaign but has thus far been restricted to just five minutes of Championship football and a substitute appearance in the Carabao Cup.
The 19-year-old has been singled out by coaches at the club as one to watch in the past and, speaking to the Birmingham Mail, suggested that he was ready to take his opportunity when it is given to him.
He explained: “I am in that middle bit where I am nearly breaking into the first team but I am playing 23s to get game-time and keep sharp.
“It’s just a matter of timing when I make that full step up, but it will come.
“It feels like I can almost touch it, it’s a bit frustrating because I know it’s so close.
“The door definitely seems open to me, it’s a long season, my chance will come, it’s just when it does come I take it with both hands.”
He said: “The biggest challenge is just proving to everyone they can trust you, a young lad coming up is not going to get everyone’s trust straight away.
"You have got to show them you are good on the ball and they can trust you off the ball as well–which I feel is most important.
“I think Jude (Bellingham) has been incredible, everything is just falling into place for him, he has taken his chance amazingly–that’s something I will be hoping to do when I get the opportunity.
“That gives you confidence you will get your chance, the coaching staff always tell me my time is going to come, I know they have got trust in me, it’s just about when I get the opportunity I have got to go and take it.”
With Clotet at the helm, the Blues have made a solid start to the season and are 11th, just two points off the play-off places.
The Verdict
Bailey was highlighted as one to watch by some fans prior to this season but so far it has been Bellingham attracting all the attention.
Bailey is clearly happy for his teammate but he must be more determined than ever to show that he is just as capable of impressing for the Blues first-team.
The 19-year-old is a technically-gifted player, who is most comfortable either as a striker or an attacking midfielder.
His path to the first-team is blocked by the likes of Dan Crowley, Fran Villalba, Lukas Jutkiewicz, and Alvaro Gimenez but you feel he will get his chance as the season wears on.