West Bromwich Albion have struggled for goals this season, which is one of many contributing factors to their utter misery of late.

Steve Bruce had led them into the relegation zone before his sacking, and although Richard Beale managed to pick up a win against Reading, he too has overseen a slump back to being three points adrift of safety.

With Karlan Grant completely off the boil, and the early season form of Brandon Thomas-Asante having disappeared, the Baggies are now left without a steady source of goals to rely upon.

Perhaps incoming manager Carlos Corberan, whose appointment is set to be announced imminently, could look to the academy and promote one of its shining lights in Reyes Cleary to shoulder this burden that the other two seem incapable of handling.

Bruce dubbed the teenager a “natural finisher” and went on to speak very highly of the 18-year-old, claiming: “He catches your eye because he smashes it in the goal, which is nice to see… He's on a good path.”

It therefore begs the question as to why he had made just two appearances in the Carabao Cup under the 61-year-old.

The 6-foot striker proved his incredible goalscoring exploits at youth level, with 18 goals and two assists in 14 games for the under-18s, before then scoring a further seven in 15 Premier League 2 matches last season. He already has nine goals in five games this season for the under-23s.

Academy football seems somewhat beneath him, and with his sheer physicality and apparent finishing ability, he must be promoted fully to the senior ranks soon.

He could be the perfect player to spearhead Corberan’s pressing system, using his pace and youthful energy to harass opposition defenders.

At a time when both Grant and Thomas-Asante have scored just three and two goals respectively in the league, there is little risk involved in taking a chance on a youngster who has shown promise.

The reward far outweighs the risk, and with a new manager in Corberan set to come in, he could mould Cleary in his image to make him the perfect centre-forward for his system.

Surely the former Huddersfield Town boss must consider promoting the 18-year-old whenever he does start his work at The Hawthorns. Not only would it surely delight the fan base, it could also be the catalyst to instant success for him.