West Brom young talent given rave reviews after being reverted from striker to wing back

A rising star in the Albion academy, his goal record at youth level saw him linked to a number of big clubs over recent years.

He was handed first team appearances in cup competitions - before injuries began to bite for the forward.

He recovered and last season went out on his first loan spell away from The Hawthorns as he signed for League Two Walsall.

But due to the form of striker Nathan Lowe, he was recalled by Albion and having already featured for the Baggies in the EFL Cup, he was unable to move to another Football League side.

He rocked up at National League Hartlepool United back in January - and has been making his mark in the North East.

The 20-year-old has netted four goals in 14 appearances, with 12 of those coming as starts for the Pools, who currently sit in mid table.

He has netted three goals in his last four appearances, with the latest being the winner in a 1-0 victory over Halifax.

Arriving as a forward and being known as a striker throughout his career, Cleary has found himself being used on the left side of a 3-5-2 formation as a wing back.

And his performances have earned him rave reviews from one of his team-mate, David Ferguson, who believes Cleary is the best player in the division in a certain category.

He said: "When you see Reyes in a one v one position, you've just got to give him the ball. For me, that's all I've done. I've encouraged him and I know, in this system, I don't want him getting dragged back alongside me. It's more or less about being in certain positions so that when we win it back, he's on. 

"A lot of teams now are seeing how dangerous he is and they're trying to double up on him or get tight, but then he spins them. It might look open on my left side, on the outside shoulder, but at the same time I know that when the ball does go to him, he's away and he's creating something. 

"In and around the box, he's such a threat. One v one, I actually think he's the best in the league, seriously. He's such a good threat and you'd rather have him up there. I'd rather sacrifice being one v one at the back and dealing with that than dragging him back to be secure; I'd rather they worry about us than we worry about them."

Cleary is on loan in the North East for the rest of the season - and returns to Albion in the summer when his contract expires.