Isaac Price: Life at West Brom, working under Lampard and Mowbray and golden set-pieces

The 21-year-old midfielder, a January signing from Standard Liege in Belgium, started for his new club for the first time in back-to-back home games this week and caught the eye of supporters - not least with his set-pieces.

Price's corners were compared to those of David Beckham this week. Price may have been born after 'Golden Balls's' move from these shores to Real Madrid, but he knows that is a big claim.

"I don't think I'm quite Beckham!" Price smiled. "He was some player. Set-pieces are a really big part of the day and you can obviously create a lot of good chances from them.

"It's something that I've tried to practice a lot, I feel like if we can be a threat from set-pieces it gives us a chance of scoring a lot more goals. It's something a little bit natural to me, something I've been doing since I've been young. If I can provide assists from there then great.

"Mowatt's got a wand of a left foot, some of his deliveries are top, Swifty can deliver some great balls. I'll always put myself in there to take them."

A big part of Price's remit is to help Albion create. His signing was confirmed five days after Tony Mowbray returned to The Hawthorns as boss - himself a manager with an attacking pedigree and attitude to entertain.

The central midfielder has shown the technical side to his game and a strong running style.

Interestingly, he was first linked with Albion last summer under Carlos Corberan. At 21 with years to grow and develop, Price is very much an ownership model signing, as Bilkul Football kept tabs on the Northern Ireland international's progress in Belgium before a swoop of around £2.5million was sealed last month.

"You can see in the manager's previous jobs how well he's done - and especially for me how well he's done with young players as well," Price added. "He's really developed some good young players.

"His type of football is really attacking football. He likes attacking football and scoring goals. I was delighted when I saw he was the manager joining and I feel he's already really helped me in the first few weeks.

"He's given me a lot of confidence to play so hopefully that keeps getting better."

He said of last summer: "I kind of thought it was going to happen. I had a few conversations with the previous manager but it didn't happen.

"I thought I had six months to kick on in Belgium and my goal was to come back here. When they came again in January I thought it was my time to go. I'm grateful it's done."

Price, born in Pontefract in West Yorkshire but with a Northern Irish grandma, joined Everton aged seven and stayed until 19 when he made the bold move to switch to east Belgium.

He made his Toffees senior debut under Frank Lampard in the 2021/22 campaign, on the eve of the former England man's sacking, something the Albion man sees as a turning point.

"It was really difficult, I never wanted to leave, I'd been there since seven and it was home," Price said. "I got to a stage and thought 'it's either take a risk now or sign four or five years now and not know what I'll do'. I was 19 and wanted to play regular football.

"I was sniffing around the Northern Ireland team, I needed to play regularly and didn't want to go down the loan route, I thought lower down the English leagues might not have suited me. It was really difficult to go to Liege but it worked out best.

"My breakthrough was with Lampard, he came in and I loved him and his staff, they gave me my opportunity to be around it and gave me my debut.

"It was just before he was sacked, I played half hour against Brighton at home, maybe if he didn't get sacked I'd have stayed but everything happens for a reason."

Breaking through into senior football as a midfielder under Chelsea legend Lampard is not lost on Price. He added: "He's someone every kid my age looked up to when they were growing up. He had everything as a midfielder, he could score and that's what all midfielders and players want to do.

"I'm someone who wants to be involved in all parts, a box-to-box midfielder, so the likes of him and Gerrard is who I base my game on. To work under him first-hand is really good."

Price believes his 18 month spell in Liege paid off. He made 49 appearances for the Belgian side and scored just once - a surprise given he has six goals in 18 Northern Ireland caps including a hat-trick this season.

"I was probably a bit naïve when I went over there, I didn't realise how big it was," Price said. "I knew what my goals were, to play regular football, that's what I did and I'm grateful for Liege to help me do that and it's helped me get back here."

"That was a key part as well," Price added of playing regularly. "I've always been somebody who wants to go and get more.

"When you join in January you've already missed half of the season so it can be hard to adjust with what's happening. But I think when you join a team like West Brom you know what the goal is - this club belongs in the Premier League and that's what everyone's goal is around the club.

"Personally I just want to come in and help with that, contribute in any way I can. I see myself as someone that needs to get more goals and assists to my game."

"The age thing...yeah I'm 21 but I don't feel 21 in terms of football because I've played a good few games and been around long enough now. It's about helping the team to prove I'm ready."