TONY Mowbray knows more than most about the talents of Burnley's new £15m striker Chris Wood, having worked with the New Zealand international at West Brom.

Wood was just 17 when he arrived at the Hawthorns in 2008 for a trial, with Mowbray then manager of the Baggies.

Mowbray would go on to hand a senior debut to Wood at the back end of the 2008/09 Premier League season after the striker had impressed for the youth and reserve sides.

One of those would come at Ewood Park on the final day of that season, which would be Mowbray's last in charge of the club before he moved on to Celtic.

Wood could make his Burnley bow in tonight's Carabao Cup clash against Rovers after his club record move from Leeds.

And Mowbray said: “I think he’s pretty focussed, has a single mindedness and work ethic to want to score goals.

“He uses his physicality, he understands that you have to play between the sticks to score goals and I only have positives to say about Chris Wood.

“He’s playing his football in an era where transfer fees are what they are, the Premier League is where he wants to play and only by banging in goals for Leeds United has he got himself this opportunity.

“After tonight we will wish him well.”

Wood bagged 30 goals in 48 outings for Leeds United last season as they narrowly missed out on the Championship play-offs.

That form prompted Burnley to splash the cash on the 25-year-old who has also had a permanent spell at Leicester City, as well as six other loan moves.

Wood was invited for a trial by then West Brom Academy coach Roger Wilkinson, and Mowbray admits there was always potential for the striker to go on and succeed in the game.

He added: “That’s why he came in, there was potential there.

“He had some talent, was a big-framed boy. He had a physicality about him, a single-mindedness to work hard and score goals, you have to wait and see when they’re young boys and he obviously has progressed.

“He has got the right ingredients and made a good career for himself.

“It is good to see that he has progressed his career and where he has got to.”