Comment: Harvey Barnes should encourage West Brom to have faith in their own youngsters

“He gives me a lot of confidence going forward,” said the 20-year-old. “He’s a great man-manager.”

There’s no doubt the Leicester loanee has captured the imagination in the first 10 games of the season.

Not since Jason Koumas have the Baggies had such a magnetic and mercurial talent in possession, someone capable of drifting past players with both balletic grace and phenomenal pace at the same time.

Dwight Gayle has been relentlessly effective since joining on loan but it is Barnes – with his schoolboy looks and floppy hair – who has quickly become the darling of this side.

Of course, the one caveat is that he’s not Albion’s player, he belongs to Leicester, and they may just recall him in January.

What Barnes’s performances should do, however, is convince Moore that youth can be trusted in this league.

Like Barnes, Sam Field and Kyle Edwards are also 20, and yet between them, they have only played three minutes in the Championship so far this season.

For the best part of two years, Field has barely put a foot wrong in an Albion shirt, especially in his favoured position of central midfield, and yet he still finds chances hard to come by.

Edwards has backed up his eye-catching pre-season with accomplished performances in the Carabao Cup.

Behind them is Jonathan Leko, 19, and Rekeem Harper, 18, who have also impressed in that competition.

Moore is in a tricky situation. These days no head coach is given time to develop youngsters. Results are all that matter.

The Baggies start this weekend in fourth as the Championship’s top scorers – he must be doing something right.

He also has a strong squad to pick from. In Field’s position he has a recently capped England player, the Premier League’s all-time appearance maker, and the club captain.

Jake Livermore has been one of his most consistent performers since he took over as caretaker boss and Gareth Barry does not deserve to lose his place after Tuesday.

Ahead of Edwards there is the aforementioned Barnes, plus the know-how of Wes Hoolahan, and the experience of James Morrison.

The head coach can only put 11 players on the pitch and has to pick the team he has the most faith in to succeed because it’s his reputation and job on the line.

Moore defended his team selections yesterday by pointing out that a number of the club’s academy graduates had featured prominently in the Carabao Cup.

Asked if Barnes’s performances encouraged him to give the club’s own youngsters more minutes he said: “Everybody’s seen that I’ve played them this season and included them in the squad. I’ve got every confidence in them.

“Kyle Edwards, Jonathan Leko, Sam Field, Rekeem Harper, young Tosin (Adarabioyo) have all played. We’ve even had Morgan Rogers (aged 16) on the bench.

“They’re all good players and they’re all good enough to play here at West Brom. I’ve identified that.

“There’s youth and experience in this team. It’s finding the right balance and blend to bring those two factors together in order for the team to perform.

“It doesn’t matter how young or old they are, it’s about whether they’re good enough.”

That is the correct course of action, and Moore judged August perfectly, when he blooded several youngsters in the Carabao Cup. He is likely to do the same against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

But someone like Field – who has been refused loans away three times in a row – now needs regular senior minutes to continue his development.

If he and Edwards find their pathways blocked at Albion, they will inevitably start looking elsewhere, and that would be a shame in both cases.

Barnes is a special talent, and a Premier League player in waiting, but he said himself he’s working wonders because Moore has faith in him.

There is hope Albion’s own youngsters are capable of something similar, but so far we’ve only seen glimpses of their potential against lower-league opposition.