Tony Mowbray's "wow" reaction to new West Brom signing Isaac Price

The head coach labelled Northern Ireland international midfielder, 21, a "lovely footballer" after a brief hour-and-a-half training session on Thursday.

Price, the £2.5million signing from Standard Liege in Belgium, will train again on Friday on the eve of the home clash against Portsmouth, in which he is set for a place on Albion's bench.

Mowbray described the midfielder as 'lovely with the ball' and a crisp, clean technician while controlling, passing and having shots, as well as somebody who is keen to pass forward and get around the pitch.

"To be honest before I walked in he wasn't on my radar," Mowbray said of Price, a long-term target of owners Bilkul Football.

"From what I've watched and trained with him yesterday he looks a very talented young boy. He's athletic, he's lovely with the ball, the ball's easy for him, he can run all day, he's a decent size. He looks a good footballer to me.

"The proof of the pudding will be on the grass. He will be in the squad at the weekend, unlikely to start in my view because he's had one hour-and-a-half session with the group, but in that hour-and-a-half he looked very talented.

"You can see some footballers, the contact they make on the ball is very clean, he passes through lines, he runs, joins (in), he's competitive. He looks like a good player - your eye is telling you 'wow'. The cleanliness of his ball contact is really good.

"Sometimes you describe footballers as a bit scruffy, they give you energy and fight but the ball is a bit uncomfortable at times, but this kid the ball looks natural, really strikes through it and really crisp. He looks like he will be a really good signing.

"He's got every chance of breaking into the team if he can bring the quality and work ethic."

Albion's new structure, led on the football side by sporting director Andrew Nestor and also featuring director of football operations Ian Pearce, is targeting younger players with a potential to develop that bring with them a potential re-sale value down the line.

The squad also requires more dynamic and athletic profiles, something that will come with younger signings and a younger average age. Mowbray does, however, want a mix of experience too and not a side of late teens he had at times with Sunderland.

He talked up the idea of signings the ilk of Price, to develop them for the years ahead.

"Every club in the country wants talented young footballers to build," added the head coach.

"I go back to the model at Sunderland, 18 or 19-year-old, young, athletic footballers to grow and mature and teach them. Then all of a sudden three or four years later you have a team of 22 or 23-year-olds who can all run, all pass, all athletic.

"It's not a bad ploy to be signing 21 and 22-year-olds and putting them into your group. There's a lifespan of a footballer, it rolls on and before you know it you have a really athletic, talented team. If you put them into positions and drive them to play with emotion and passion you've got a chance of winning matches."