Paul Lambert insists the sky is the limit for Scotland Under-21 cap Tony Watt if the striker matches his ‘incredible talent’ with work rate.
The 22-year-old former Celtic marksman joined Lambert’s Blackburn Rovers on loan from Charlton last week and got his Ewood Park career off to a perfect start with a goal and an assist in the weekend’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Oxford United.
Watt burst on to the scene as an 18-year-old at Celtic when he scored a fairytale winning goal against Barcelona in the Champions League and former Scotland international Lambert is keen to see the forward realise his full potential.
Lambert said: “Tony has got an incredible talent for a footballer and if marries that talent with hard work then he’s got a fantastic career in front of him.
“We have to get that into his game but you saw glimpses of what he can do on Saturday and it was clear he became a big hero with the fans – and that’s not bad for a debut and an hour or so.
“He’s been through a lot in his career already. At 18 the goal against Barcelona put him into stardom and maybe he lost his way a little bit.
“But he’s an incredible talent, a really fantastic footballer, and we have to get what we have seen out there more often.
“We’ll make sure we look after him and nurture him. He’s only 22 years of age; he’s only a kid.”
