Joey Barton has been impressed by Zain Westbrooke's efforts in pre-season and the midfielder has done "nothing but enhance his claim" to force his way back into Bristol Rovers' squad for the season ahead.
Westbrooke was out of favour at the Mem last term, making just three league appearances for the Gas before joining Stevenage on loan in January. That move proved to be disappointing for the 25-year-old, with a managerial change midway through his time at the Lamex Stadium working against him.
But the former Brentford and Coventry City midfielder has returned to the Mem this summer determined to make a positive impression, and his manager was pleased with his performance in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Stoke City at the Mem.
He played in the role usually occupied by Sam Finley, operating slightly ahead of Jordan Rossiter, who took up Paul Coutts’ role as the pivot ahead of the back four. Westbrooke is always good for some neat touches and smart passes, but he got stuck into the physical side of the contest, too, battling to regain possession and engaging in a couple of shoulder-to-shoulder duels.
"I thought Zain did superbly," Barton said. "Zain has had a tough spell. His time at the club probably hasn’t gone as he would have wanted it, but I think everyone is aware of his qualities and he does have some really good qualities, especially on the ball.
"There is stuff off the ball that we’re asking him to work harder at and in pre-season, he has done nothing but enhance his claim. He’s been superb, he has a great attitude, he is a good lad, he trains properly every day and he is a really good teammate.
"I said to him at the start of pre-season ‘Look, it’s a blank slate for everybody’. Some of those lads don’t want to hear that because they had great seasons last year, but for lads who maybe didn’t have the season they wanted, that’s all they can ask for.
"I thought tonight he was superb and we are light in that area. It is somewhere I’m looking to strengthen, but when he performs that way certainly gives me food for thought."
Westbrooke was an eye-catching signing for the Gas in 2020, signing a three-year deal after winning the League One title with Coventry City. He played regularly in his first season with the club, making 42 appearances but the Gas would finish bottom of the league and be relegated to League Two.
With Barton eager to rebuild last summer, Westbrooke was on the fringes and made just nine appearances in all competitions before ex-Rovers manager Paul Tisdale took him to Stevenage on loan. He would play 11 times before Tisdale was sacked.
After playing in Steve Evans' first game, he did not feature again before the end of his loan spell. He appeared to be short of options this summer as a result, but his efforts over the summer have put him in the manager's thinking.
Challenges remain in Westbrooke’s path as he fights for a place in the team: Coutts, Finley, Rossiter and Antony Evans are ahead in the pecking order for positions across the midfield, plus Barton has signalled his intent to make further additions in the centre of the park before the end of the window.
But the move to five substitutions per game from the start of the season could give Westbrooke a route onto the pitch in competitive action.
"At this moment in time, yeah (he is in my plans), for sure," Barton added. "He’s a player under contract. It hasn’t gone right for him last year. He went on loan and it didn’t quite work out because (Stevenage) changed from Paul Tisdale to Steve Evans, which is going from night to day.
"Definitely two contrasting football views and Westy suffered in that and it just hasn’t gone to plan. He’s now in a group with a really solid foundation. We all know the qualities Zain brings, he is a very technically proficient footballer but the physicality and the other side of the game are the bits he’s got to develop.
"But I thought against Championship-level opposition (Stoke), I thought he was superb, certainly in the first half. I felt he was up there with our better players."
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