James Collins: Tawanda Chirewa setting example to Wolves youngsters

Collins missed Chirewa's creativity on Wednesday night as the under-21s were knocked out of the EFL Trophy with a 4-1 defeat to Derby, but the head coach is pleased to see another promising talent making his mark.

"Tawanda has done very well with us and that's why he's with the first team – and that's brilliant for us," Collins said.

"He's a boy with talent but also has the bit between his teeth. He's got drive and he isn't cruising.

"Sometimes 17 and 18-year-olds at academies think they've got forever to become a player. He's a touch older and he's had to wait on the sidelines at Ipswich over the last 12 months and I think that's given him the fight he needs to dig in and have a right go. Alongside his talent, that helps.

"It's brilliant for us that the first team management team will see that in him and are prepared to bring him with them. That's great for us to be able to tell our lads 'if you do well, show the right qualities, the right attitude and fit in the culture the gaffer is creating, then he will give you opportunities to be with them'.

"There's nothing more powerful as an under-21 coach to have that in your armoury and I thank the first team staff for that."

Chirewa travelled with the first team to recent away games at Bournemouth and Sheffield United but is yet to be included in a Premier League squad.

When asked if the 20-year-old will now solely train with the first team, Collins added: "It's been a bit of a mix. He's trained with us for the majority but over the last week or so they decided they wanted him to go with them.

"We often have boys go down and train with them on different days, sometimes it's for a day and sometimes it's a bit longer. He's happened this time to stay a bit longer.

"He could be back with us tomorrow or he could stay there permanently, that's the challenge for him and some of that will depend on injuries, first team positions and how he represents himself with the manager.

"That's the whole point of under-21s football, you get an opportunity to impress the manager, you have to grab that opportunity and the hard bit then is staying there.

"He's in that position now where at the moment he'll mix between the two a little bit, but that won't be my decision, that will be the first team staff's decision."

Meanwhile, Nathan Fraser has been missing for both the under-21s and the first team due to an injury.

"Nathan's got a little bit of a niggle," Collins said.

"He trains with the first team now so I don't know exactly what it is and it might be a day or a bit longer, I'm not sure.

"But with him having that niggle we certainly wouldn't risk him with us."