Barnsley saw glimpses of what was to come at Blackburn Rovers, Southampton: View | OneFootball

Adam Armstrong was still a teenager when he joined the Tykes for a season in the Championship

Adam Armstrong is widely considered one of the finest strikers to have played in the EFL in recent times, with the Southampton striker netting 21 times in the division last season.

That hotshot reputation has always surrounded the frontman during his career, with a number of promising loan spells away from Newcastle United at the start of his pathway into the game.

A 20-goal season at Coventry City in League One kickstarted his career when he was just 18, before moving on to Barnsley in the 16/17 campaign, where he once again scored some fantastic strikes during his time at Oakwell.

He may have only found the back of the net six times in a Tykes league game, but the signs were there that Armstrong was a footballer with bags of potential, which Blackburn Rovers and Southampton took advantage of later in his career.

Adam Armstrong catches the eye with Barnsley spell

Fresh off the back of his dream season with Coventry, Armstrong was back in the Football League with Barnsley, with the Yorkshire outfit ready to take on the finest the EFL had to offer after winning the League One playoffs the year before.

With current Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom in the dugout, the Tykes were always going to be up against it when facing the seemingly unlimited wealth of those fighting at the top of the division, but in Armstrong they had a not-so-secret weapon.

If anyone was unaware of the talent that the attacker had in his locker, the cat was out the bag just minutes into his debut, as he outwitted Preston North End defence before curling home a sumptuous strike to open his account.

Nowadays, it is something we have come to expect from Armstrong, with his pace, power, and technique among the best in the Football League when he plays at the level, and the Tykes had one of the earliest glimpses of a star in the making.

A superbly taken first-time volley against Reading was another eye-catching goal to add to his collection soon after, as the forward’s reputation continued to grow, before he had even reached the age of 20.

It wasn’t only his goalscoring that stood out at Oakwell, but his desire and want for the ball, and creativity when in possession, with his mind constantly whirring with ball at his feet.

With his time in Yorkshire being his first at Championship level, the adaptations weren’t always the easiest, but Armstrong was young and adaptable, with a never-say-die attitude to match.

That is exactly why he has made it at the level he has in the current day, with his ability to make mistakes and learn from them, while quietly honing his craft, with his end product being goals.

Blackburn Rovers, Southampton benefit from Adam Armstrong loan spells

That grounding in the EFL has made Armstrong the player he is today, with his ability to peel off the last defender making him a dangerous asset, as well as his penchant for dropping deeper and driving forward in possession.

Forever the hitman had been touted as a striker who has shown quality in glimpses, but ever since the midway point of his time at Ewood Park, he has seemed a more fine-tuned, determined player.

While he is still only 27 now, the striker has already been on some journey, with Rovers making the most of his talents in the early stages of his career, with a 28-goal haul in the 2020/21 season being the making of his career.

A move to the Premier League followed with Southampton, and while the goals haven’t always flown in the top flight, another 21 in the Championship last season proves he is still as deadly as he has ever been.

Wherever he goes from here, Barnsley will always take some credit for being the making of Adam Armstrong - through the good and the bad - with plenty of lessons learned along the way.