Tyreik Wright: I have playing freedom at Walsall

The Villa loanee joined the Saddlers on loan at the beginning of January and has so far made one appearance – starting and assisting one goal in the 3-1 win over Port Vale.

It was the 19-year-old’s first taste of professional football and he insists he does not feel the pressure to perform – while he highlighted set pieces as the biggest difference from academy football.

“The biggest change really is set pieces because they work on set pieces a lot in training but in development football it’s go out, train and play games,” he said.

“We do set pieces the day before a game but here it’s nearly every day so that’s the biggest thing for me. I practice them in training every day so hopefully a few of them come off between now and the end of the season.

“When I play they told me to go express myself in the final third and play with a smile on my face. That’s what every footballer wants when they go on the pitch, to play with freedom and have no pressure on them.”

Meanwhile, manager Darrell Clarke insists Wright has a ‘good future’ if he can continue working for the team off the ball.

“He has that match winning quality, doesn’t he,” Clarke said.

“Your wide players need to be scoring goals and making assists, not being a luxury without the luxury.

“If things aren’t going well for them going forward, and wide players can be hit and miss, they have to make sure they do the shift for the team defensively.

“Tyreik has energy, pace, and he created the goal at Port Vale with one bit of magic.

“As long as he’s doing the other side of the job he’ll have a good future.”