West Brom's Matt Phillips signing gives Tony Pulis the option to loan Jonathan Leko

Albion boss Tony Pulis is contemplating sending teenage talent Jonathan Leko out on loan now Matt Phillips is joining the club.

Phillips is a right-winger like Leko, and the 25-year-old from Queens Park Rangers is expected to move ahead of the 17-year-old in the pecking order once the signing is confirmed.

However, loans are changing. FIFA have scrapped England's emergency loan status, meaning instead of one-month or season-long deals, they will run from window to window next season.

Pulis has been highly critical of the way under-21s football fails to prepare players for men's football and he wants Leko to toughen up in the lower leagues.

"I'll have to assess it when we know what our numbers are, what players we've got and see how they come back," he said.

"Twenty-five players is enough, whether you keep them or loan them, so it's not a problem.

"I know it has not been the way the academy have done it, but just look back to when Harry (Redknapp) was manager at West Ham.

"He loaned (Jermain) Defoe to Bournemouth and (Frank) Lampard went to Swansea. They were 16 or 17 years of age.

"The older managers have been doing that for years and it's great experience for the lads.

"It's been great for their development in my opinion."

Saido Berahino benefited from loan spells at Northampton Town, Brentford, and Peterborough United when he was a teenager.

And Pulis is keen for Leko – who made his Albion debut aged 16 – to tread a similar path.

"To play in the Premier League at that age is extraordinary for him," said the Welshman.

"Character grows as you go further down the line.

"The important thing is managing him and making sure he doesn't get carried away and he is put in his place if he needs to be.

"There are players in the dressing room who will do that for him and he understands that."

Leko signed his first professional contract with the Baggies last week, committing himself to the club for the next three years.

He's been coming into the training ground all summer to do extra work and keep himself sharp.

He's travelling to Austria tomorrow and will be used in Albion's pre-season friendlies.

Pulis is confident he has the right role models at the club.

"He's got good professionals in the dressing room and Fletch and people like that have been very good with him," he added.