Former Hartlepool United president and Soccer Saturday commentator Jeff Stelling praised Barnsley winger Reyes Cleary following the club’s FA Cup loss at Liverpool.

The 21-year-old wideman was able to showcase his talents on one of the biggest stages of all at Anfield on Monday night, and he did not waste the opportunity, as he looked lively and dangerous, and had plenty of neutral fans believing that it wouldn’t be long before he was facing sides like Liverpool on a regular basis in the Premier League, having won the Player of the Match award despite the Tykes’ eventual 4-1 defeat.

Blackburn Rovers were interested in helping Cleary bridge the gap between the top division and the third tier, but Barnsley turned down their original proposal of roughly £1 million plus add-ons.

According to Alan Nixon, the Tykes’ value of roughly £5 million surprised Blackburn, but after his performance against the reigning Premier League winners, they can now see why the South Yorkshire club is wanting so much.

For someone like Jeff Stelling, who saw his potential before moving to Oakwell, this comes as no surprise.

Jeff Stelling expects that Reyes Cleary will “go right to the top”

After dominating West Brom’s minor teams, Cleary’s standing plummeted dramatically last season after a pair of loan periods.

He played only 86 minutes of League Two football for Walsall in the first half of the season, and was thus recalled this time last year. However, because he had already competed in the EFL Cup with the Baggies that season, a second loan move was required below the EFL.

As a result, he spent the second part of the season with Hartlepool United in the National League, where he scored six goals and assisted twice in 20 appearances.

From the outside, someone who was playing in the fifth tier as recently as May of last year’s rise into a star with Premier League potential may have appeared out of nowhere.

However, Jeff Stelling, who served as honorary president of Hartlepool for over a decade before resigning in May, understands how hard Cleary has fought to get to this place and believes he deserves every bit of acclaim he is receiving now.

Speaking about X, the broadcasting great stated, “If you meet him, his demeanor is unbelievable. Humble, grateful, and brilliant with the fans/kids. “I hope he gets to the top.”

It’s an incredible recommendation that will undoubtedly have weight in some football circles.

There’s no doubt that if the 21-year-old does make it to the top of the food chain, those who were with Hartlepool last season won’t be surprised, and following Monday’s performance at Anfield, neither will many outside of the North-East non-league side.

Blackburn Rovers will be disappointed with Reyes Cleary’s Liverpool performance, which will only raise his value.

Blackburn attempted to rush Cleary by submitting a’substantial six-figure bid’ before the January window opened in order to bring him to Ewood Park as soon as possible.

Rovers clearly saw his potential and wanted to sign him before anybody else did.

Unfortunately for Blackburn, Barnsley refused to accept anything less than £5 million, and now that he has demonstrated that he can compete with some of the country’s suggested elite full-backs, his value will only rise, and teams with larger budgets than Valerien Ismael’s will swoop in as well.

It was already looking unlikely that a transfer to Ewood Park would take place this January, and it now appears to be almost impossible.

There’s no doubt that the talented wideman would have been a cut above the rest in the Championship, but he’s now the worst-kept secret following the FA Cup encounter, and he could be out of reach for Blackburn.