"Serious minerals” - David Prutton issues Ryan Mason, Kieran McKenna comparison following West Brom appointment | OneFootball

David Prutton has compared West Brom manager Ryan Mason to fellow young coach Kieran McKenna

Ryan Mason is preparing for his maiden campaign as a first-team manager with West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies appointed the 34-year-old as Tony Mowbray’s permanent replacement, in what could be seen as quite the risk.

West Brom have Premier League ambitions and will expect nothing less than to be in and around the play-off places come May.

Mason hasn’t assumed the role of a professional manager on a full-time basis before, with his only experience of being the main man in the dugout coming during brief spells as Tottenham Hotspur’s interim boss.

Naturally, this has led to questions over how the former midfielder will tackle all the trials and tribulations of management in the Championship.

David Prutton makes Kieran McKenna comparison when predicting Ryan Mason’s West Brom tenure

Sky Sports pundit and former EFL midfielder, David Prutton, believes that Mason’s past experiences as a player will serve him well as the Baggies’ boss, going as far to compare him to one of the division’s leading managers.

“With Ryan Mason, it’s tricky in a good way,” explained Prutton to Benjamin Bloom on his YouTube podcast.

"All people that are involved with football are inherently competitive.

"What got him through the absolute melee of transitioning from a younger footballer to a professional footballer, gives you some pretty serious minerals to draw on. Especially having gone through the things he has.

“He’s very similar to Kieran McKenna. Softly spoken, finished playing football early, he’s got the bit between his teeth, you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of him, would you?

“There’s absolutely a switch with Kieran, and there must be one with Ryan because he wouldn’t be here without it. If you don’t have that, I don’t think you get here.

“I’m intrigued to see what he does, how his team plays and how he handles everything outside of it.”

Ryan Mason will be under pressure to perform at West Brom in his debut season as a manager

Mason is well-regarded within the game as an exciting young coach who has deserved a shot at management for a while, and he could end up being exactly what West Brom need to reclaim their Premier League status.

The 34-year-old will likely bring some fresh energy, enthusiasm and ideas to a club that is still recovering from the loss of Carlos Corberan.

However, in the modern game, managers aren’t afforded much time to settle into their positions.

Although achieving promotion to the top-flight is the goal for West Brom, flirting with relegation or even mid-table mediocrity isn’t a reality they can entertain and therefore Mason will have to hit the ground running.

The Baggies showed with Corberan that they are willing to give a manager time and back him, so long as his results on the pitch are up to scratch.

It was always obvious that the Spaniard was building something special at the Hawthorns, and it was only a matter of time before they succeeded in their task of promotion.

Hopefully, Mason can have a similar impact, but the pressure will be on immediately.