Callum Styles' debut West Brom season has been quite the story

There was relatively little fanfare last August when the Baggies confirmed a four-year deal for the versatile Styles who last completed a full Championship season for Barnsley a few years back.

Among the first appraisal from then boss Carlos Corberan, after Albion had just beaten Stoke in late August on the eve of Styles' arrival, was how the 24-year-old 'can play in five positions' and will be useful for the squad.

That probably did not help any little fanfare. Neither did Barnsley supporters' less-than glowing response to his exit.  

There was the odd bright cameo but it took several defensive injuries for Styles to get his foot in the door. Indeed a first Baggies start for the Hungary international - Lancashire-born Styles qualifies through his maternal grandmother - did not come until Luton away on November 1.

Fast-forward a few months and Styles has emerged as one of the club's players of the season. First under Corberan and now Tony Mowbray. A model signing of the new Bilkul regime - young with experience and able to be developed for value. He is well on the way to becoming a very fine left-back.

That in itself is a story. Left-back in a back four is unfamiliar for Styles, who is learning all the time. He arrived to external noises of a central midfield preference which led to fears of an unnatural defensive limitations. This was all while Torbjorn Heggem, the fellow summer arrival, shone at left-back - but it was well-known he was a long-term central defender.

It says a lot there are now fears over Styles' fitness with a calf strain agonizingly ruling him out of a deserved Hungarian recall. Styles' qualities were missed in Saturday's failure to beat Hull.

"That’s where I have been playing," Styles said of his left-back berth. "I’ve grown into the position to be fair. I have only really before this played a little bit in a back four, it was more so left wing-back.

"But under Carlos he was very tactical and very specific on his details and I think he helped me grow and develop in that position and then now we have Tony who let’s you kind of express your whole abilities and I think the two mixture is what’s helping me play some good football.

"I prefer being on the front foot. I loved playing at Burnley last Tuesday because we were just getting after them on the front foot pressing high and I think that’s when I play my best football.

"Obviously you need that other side to it where you go through spells in a game and you need to be disciplined.

"You need to have good structure, be hard to beat and then on the flip side you have got to change quick and go and attack quick and express yourself as a team and as an individual."

Styles has certainly expressed himself. He still has just the one Baggies goal, in the New Year's Day home win over Preston, and is yet to register an assist - but his influence over the halfway line is significant.

His background as a midfielder helps with Albion's subtle but important tactical set-up. When Mowbray's team are on top and probing opposition, Styles is allowed to push forward as an extra midfielder, allowing John Swift, Jayson Molumby or otherwise to push even further on from midfield.

But it has been notable how Styles is progressing defensively. In the 1-0 home win with 10 men against Queens Park Rangers recently the diminutive Styles, who only stands at 5ft 8ins, won the most aerial duels. In the 1-1 draw at Burnley he made a goal-saving challenge in the final 10 minutes to secure a deserved point.

"I feel like I am improving," added Styles. "That’s what you have to aim for. You’re not always going to go in a straight line up.

"You have ups and downs but your whole trajectory, you want to keep improving over time and I feel like I am doing a lot here. You just have to nullify their winger as much as you can and try and push them back as a full back."