Alex Neil believes Nathan Redmond is a shining light for Norwich City's new breed.

The Scot has been hugely impressed with Redmond since taking charge at Carrow Road and Neil insists the 20-year-old is reaping the benefits from his early career breakthrough in his teens at Birmingham.

Neil is a firm advocate of exposing young talent to the rigours of first team football, with Cameron McGeehan and Jamar Loza recently joining a growing loan contingent in the Football League.

'The benefit he has is that he started very young and has played a lot of games. I had that at Hamilton when I was starting out, there are a lot of clubs up there with boys playing a lot of football early,' said Neil. 'That is key to their development because they have had a lot of first team football. That can happen at a smaller club, where that opportunity comes along a lot sooner.

'I would always say that to young players. They have to go where they can play. At times you need under-21 or reserve football to get some minutes but I think any young player who is playing the one thing you don't want is to leave that and go somewhere where week in, week out where you are not.'

Redmond struck a fine individual goal against Brentford last weekend and the wide player is already a key part of Neil's attacking strategy at Norwich.

'I think his attacking prowess is something you can't teach players,' said the City boss. 'We are looking to get more of that out of him. He has certainly got the potential, it is about trying to get it on a regular basis.

'The wide players have to add goals to their game. Even when we are in the final third, we have to commit more lads into the box, particularly when you play wide players who might want to hug the touchline. I would always tell them you are not going to score from out there so it's about making sure you find yourself in dangerous areas to have the potential to score.

'I think we are one of the top scorers, if not the top scorers, so there is no question we have goals in the team. That type of thing doesn't concern me. We have more than enough attacking threat. We just have to make sure we are functioning as a team in other areas as well.'