Birmingham City manager Chris Hughton insists that Nathan Redmond’s recent success will not go to his head as the youngster has the maturity to stay grounded.

The teenage sensation, who does not turn 18 until next month, came off the bench to score the winning goal for Blues against Portsmouth on Tuesday night.

His match-winning impact could have earned him a starting role for Saturday’s trip to Barnsley as Blues go in search of another win.

But whether he starts or not, Hughton knows he will not get carried away with his recent headline-earning exploits and will continue to focus on gradually improving his blossoming game.

“In all honesty I’m not having to tell him much because he’s quite a grounded lad himself,” said Hughton after seeing Redmond bag his fifth goal in royal blue.

“We try to tell him the right things and so forth, but I’ve found as a lad he’s very well grounded.

“There’s no heirs and graces about him. He’s a very down to earth lad. He’s a wonderful player, he’s a real talent.

“But we generally don’t like to get too carried away with players because we’ve seen it all before, where you have a player with real talent but they don’t get to the levels that you think they are going to.

“He’s young and we have managed him quite well. He’s been great to have around and when he’s not playing he’s appreciative of the experience he is getting.

“He’s improving week in week out and he’s a talent and one that we think will be one for the future.”

The Sheldon-born star showed his prodigious ability again on Tuesday with a top-class finish in the 86th minute to give Blues another home win.

It moved them up to third place in the Championship, and just two points behind second-placed Southampton, as well as maintaining their unbeaten home run in the league.

When Redmond was introduced he was originally played out wide but he finished the game as a second striker in a central position where he got his goal.

Hughton still feels that he is best utilised on the wing but admitted that the central role was an option he may look at in the future.

The Blues boss was also quick to brush off the ‘super sub’ tag which has been attached to Redmond’s name by insisting that he was an integral part of the team.

“I don’t see him that way (as a super-sub)” he added. I see him as part of the squad. I have no fears about starting him in any game.

“I have no fears with him at all. I see him as part of the team and the squad certainly as opposed to someone who can come on and make an impact.

“But I think we all know that he is the type of player that can make an impact because he is explosive.

“His goal (against Portsmouth) was a super strike.

“He is a good striker of the ball, but at this moment his strengths are running at people, especially in wide areas.

“But he does have some qualities as a wide player drifting into central positions, or even starting there.

“Probably at this moment, though, we still see him as a wide player primarily.”