West Brom manager Valerien Ismael believes Taylor Gardner-Hickman represents the benchmark the club want from young players after the defender signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract.

The academy graduate, who joined the Baggies as a seven-year-old, signed a new deal on his 20th birthday having made his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup against Arsenal in August.

“This is great news. Taylor is the beginning of the project from when I came in; to link the academy to the first team,” Ismael told the club’s website.

“We wanted to create a pathway and Taylor is the first player me and my staff have been able to bring through.

“We hope and we want more players to follow this pathway – but this is a great statement from Taylor with this commitment to the club.

“Now I am looking forward to working with him. It’s great news for everyone at the club.

“Taylor has shown already that he plays without fear, that he has a great attitude and mentality.

“He represents exactly what we want to see from young players. He’s hungry, he has desire, he’s fearless. He also has a lot of quality.”