Having lined-up alongside each other at England youth level and gone head-to-head in League One, City loan star Ryan Bertrand and new arrival James Henry should know each other pretty well by now.
And encouragingly for Canary fans, Bertrand is convinced his new Colney pal has a big future in the game.
The pair have been involved in the England Under-19 setup and Reading starlet Henry gave the Chelsea youngster a torrid time when the Cherries faced Bertrand's Oldham earlier this season; the 18-year-old will be glad that Henry is now lining up on the same side.
Equally at home on the right or left hand side of midfield, Henry ? who, along with defender Alex Pearce, joined City this morning in a double swoop on the Royals – hit a purple patch in the lead up to Christmas in his own loan spell at Bournemouth, hitting three goals in as many games
A stunner in their Sky Sports-televised draw at Hartlepool was enough to catch Bertrand's eye and if his comments are anything to go by, City could have a real star on their hands.
“It was a brilliant strike and showed exactly what James is capable of,” Bertrand told the Bournemouth Daily Echo at the time, preparing to face the Cherries during his period at Boundary Park.
“He usually plays on the right-hand side but he came in from the left to score that one. He scored a couple the last time we played together for England and is a definite threat.
“If you get the ball to him enough and give him the right service, he'll put quality deliveries into the box and also pop up with a few goals.
“If he plays on the right against us, I might be marking him and it would be a good competition for the two of us, one which I'm sure we would both look forward to.”
Henry, of course, joins City along with Royals team-mate Alex Pearce and Middlesbrough defender Matthew Bates and City boss Glenn Roeder revealed he has no concerns over the relative inexperience of his new trio.
The Canary chief is certainly of the 'if he's good enough, he's old enough' school of thought?
“I like working with young players,” said Roeder in the Evening News.
“I don't agree with people who say young players make mistakes. I've seen plenty of players with more than 500 games under their belt make mistakes.
“Matthew Bates is a young player Gareth Southgate thinks highly of at Middlesbrough but he needs games.
“We haven't had cover for Jon Otsemobor, but he will now have someone pushing for his place.”
Roeder also admitted that, under the guidance of Steve Coppell, he was confident that his two new Royals additions had the right mind-set to succeed at the very top.
We all know the City boss is big on 'attitude' and has long since asked questions over the Canaries' own Academy products ? Chris Martin and Michael Spillane to name just two.
But he has no such worries over his two new signings, and he can clearly count on Reading boss Steve Coppell as a friend from now on.
“I like taking players from Steve Coppell because he only has a certain type of player. They must be well motivated,” Roeder added.
“I've done my homework and I am told both boys fit the bill in terms of attitude and desire.
“Steve believes Pearce is a Premiership quality defender and he has high hopes for Henry. Pearce is here on a window-to-window loan and Henry is an emergency loan.”
Pearce, it seems, is a little closer to a first-team berth at the Madejski stadium and Coppell will be keeping a close eye on the defender's progress in Norfolk.
He was touted for a second consecutive FA Cup appearance ahead of Reading's fourth round tie at Birmingham a year ago after an impressive showing in the previous round against Burnley ? his first senior appearance for the Royals.
“I thought I did okay when I came on against Burnley,” said Pearce at the time, speaking to icberkshire.co.uk.
“I didn't set the world alight but I was pleased with my performance. I got in a few strong tackles and won a few headers which was hard against a striker like Ade Akinbiyi because he's so strong.
“I was a bit nervous to start with but you have to have confidence and belief in yourself in this game. You've got to believe you're good enough to be on the same pitch as these players.”
With over ten hours to go until the transfer window slams firmly shut, Pearce may not be the last of the additions and we'll have any action and reaction right here.
Don't go too far away?
Tom Haylett
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