Birmingham City boss Lee Bowyer has admitted that he was surprised the club managed to sign Tahith Chong on loan from Manchester United.

The winger was announced as a Blues player earlier this month, in a deal that caught many by surprise.

Whilst the Netherlands U21 international was always going to have to leave on a temporary basis to get minutes due to the level of players at Old Trafford, his previous loan spells have been in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen and with Belgian champions Club Brugge.

Therefore, securing him as a Championship side was a good deal for Blues and Bowyer told Birmingham Live that he was delighted, and somewhat shocked, to be able to get the transfer finalised.

"We have pulled off a bit of a coup getting him. I was surprised we were able to get him, myself and Craig [Gardner] worked really hard behind the scenes to make it happen. I thought we were looking too high at one stage but we managed to get it over the line.

"Man United were kind enough to trust us and send such a good talent to us. My job now is to improve him and send back a better player than what’s arrived."

The verdict

This shows how highly-rated Chong is and it should excite Blues fans that the club have managed to bring in a talent from one of the top clubs in the country.

You only have to see the fact he spent last year at two top-flight clubs, along with his appearances for the Netherlands youth sides to recognise this is a player with huge potential.

Now, it's down to Chong and Bowyer to ensure he delivers on that potential next season in the Championship.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.