Patrick Kelly living up to 'top player' tag away from West Ham United
West Ham United loanee Patrick Kelly produced a mature performance for Doncaster Rovers against Salford City on Saturday.
The 20-year-old played 84 minutes before being replaced by George Broadbent as Doncaster played out a 1-1 draw with Salford at home in the League Two on 16 November.
Kelly has grown in stature after netting his first goal for the Rovers in their 1-0 FA Cup win over Barrow on 2 November and was reliable once again on Saturday afternoon.
West Ham United ace Patrick Kelly living up to 'top player' tag
Doncaster manager Grant McCann tipped Kelly to become a "top player" after his goalscoring performance against Barrow and the youngster has since been vying to live up to the tag, as evidenced by his display against Salford.
Playing in a double pivot alongside Owen Bailey, the Northern Irishman registered 41 touches and completed 21 of his 26 passes with 86 per cent accuracy [FotMob]. One of those passes were played into the final third and 10 into forward passing zones.
Kelly did not shy away from taking a man on when needed, attempting five dribbles, of which he completed two.
He was not reluctant to get stuck in either as he won three of his seven ground duels [43 per cent], as well as three of his four aerial duels [75 per cent]. The youngster also recovered the ball three times and made two clearances and an interception.
Playing in a double pivot in the middle of the park requires a certain level of talent and Kelly displayed that against Salford. Should he play his cards right, he could have a long-term future at West Ham, where he currently has a contract until 2026.
In other West Ham news, the Irons must forget dreams of signing this January target after his release clause came to light.