Jaap Stam feels Liam Kelly is getting back to the form he showed last season after his stunning strike in Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Derby.
The midfielder burst onto the scene in the 2016/17 campaign, making his debut in the EFL Cup in August before establishing himself as a regular in the league side which finished third in the Championship.
He continued that into the start of this season, bagging four goals in his first eight games.
But the 22-year-old’s form has dipped and he was left out of the squad altogether as recently as earlier this month.
REACTION: Stam angered by poor defending against Derby
Now with three starts in a row under his belt and a first goal since September, Stam believes Kelly is returning to his best.
“He’s getting back to the level where he was last season, when he deserved his extension of his contract as well,” said Stam.
“Liam, like everybody knows and like the fans treat him, he’s one of our own.
“He’s a player from the youth academy with great skill and great ability.
“Last season he did very well, not always playing but eventually getting to a certain level that everybody likes to have him on the pitch with his quality of passing and movement and scoring goals.
“A lot of times in the second season when players reach a certain level, the opposition knows how you play and what they can do so you need to find a way to change your game to be influential again and to make a difference again.
“It’s not always easy, especially for young players, but he did it well.”
He continued: “Sometimes we need to be cautious with young players as well in when to give them some rest and leave them out the squad or when to bring them in and give them minutes.
“But most of the time it’s up to the player themselves if they have the mentality and the character to step up again and Liam is getting back to the level where he was.”
