It’s fair to say Luke Thomas has had an impressive season so far at Coventry City.

The Derby County star will go down as one of a handful of successful season-long loans of the modern era and will surely be a contender for Player of the Season come the end of term awards.

Loans are all well and good, and serve a purpose for a limited amount of time but, inevitably, can leave a void once they’ve returned to their parent club at the end of their designated stay.

Fans may recall Ryan Kent’s departure back to Liverpool after helping the Sky Blues to a flying start to the 2015/16 campaign along with the Adam Armstrong and Jacob Murphy, which left a gaping hole in City’s attack from which the team never really recovered during a flat second half of the season.

But one man has already got his eye on Thomas ’s soon to be vacant wing role on the right – January signing from Chelsea, Charlie Wakefield.

Coventry City's Charlie Wakefield believes he can fill Luke Thomas's boots next season

Asked if he’s looking forward to the prospect, the lightning quick wide man said: “Of course.

“Luke is a quality player and I get on well with him.

“Although I am getting games in the Under-23s and a bit of time in the first team I am still not fully match fit.

“But next year will be a big focus for me because come the end of the season I will hopefully have played regularly, whether it be in the first team, 23s or whoever, and got those 90 minutes in that I need.

“I’ll have got my fitness up and will want to crack on with the first team boys.”

Luke Thomas celebrates scoring for the Sky Blues with manager Mark Robins

Asked what he feels are his strengths, the confident 20-year-old said: “I’m just very direct.

“I want to get on the ball and get at people.

“I want to create goals and score goals; just simplify the game, you know.

“If I am one on one with my man then I want to get at him and put balls into the box. That’s what Adi Viveash and the gaffer want.

“Adi has seen it in the past; he’s seen me get the ball wide or in behind and cause problems for the opposition.”

Mark Robins ’s No.2 has also said Wakefield is the quickest player he’s ever worked with.

“I’ve never timed myself over 100 metres,” he said.

“I have done a couple but never been properly timed, so it would be interesting to see.

Charlie Wakefield on his Sky Blues debut against Gillingham

“I feel like I am very quick now but I feel I will be even quicker once I get more games and am fully, fully match fit.

“That’s when people will see the frightening pace that I have.

“Every time I am on the ball dribbling, that’s a big part to my game. You have to have the technical ability to go with it but if you have got the ability to beat a player with your pace that gives you a great advantage to go forward.”

Wakefield has been impressed with his new team-mates, joining them at the start of a three-game unbeaten run.

He added: “I have only been here a couple of weeks but I can already see the ability and unity in the group, and I believe we have got potential to make the play-offs and go up.

“We’re a young group but there’s a lot of quality there and the gaffer gets across what he wants from the boys, and that’s why we spend a lot of time on the training ground.

“We’ll be working on set pieces the day before a game and can be out there for an hour nailing down what he wants out of all of us, and then it’s down to all of us to take that onto the pitch.

“Game by game I think we are getting stronger and we have just got to keep going because there’s a great group of boys there to progress.”

One of the reasons Wakefield chose the Sky Blues ahead of other options, including Championship clubs, was because of the opportunity to get first team football.

Charlie Wakefield was welcomed to Coventry City by manager Mark Robins on deadline day

And the new recruit believes he has the work ethic that Thomas has shown this season to do the defensive side of the game that Robins demands from his wingers.

“A lot of players get chances here because it’s a case of if you are good enough it doesn’t matter what age you are,” he said.

“If you work hard you will get a chance, and that’s what the manager wants.

“It’s all very well having the ability but you have to work hard off the ball, especially in Leagues One and Two but in any league for that matter.

“Even if it’s last minute of the game if you’re a wide man you have to make sure you’re getting back in because it could be me making that last ditch tackle.

“I would rather do that and get a win than go up the other end and score a goal. It’s wanting to defend for the team to get the three points.

“It’s different to youth football which, no disrespect to it because it’s a great chance to develop as a young player, but when you are playing in a men’s league there are three points and a lot on the line.

“There’s a massive difference.”

Download the CoventryLive app

   

Visit our Facebook pages for Coventry and Nuneaton or visit our Twitter pages for Coventry and Nuneaton

Watch our videos on YouTube and see our photos on Instagram