Baggies youngsters Ollie Bostock and Cole Deeming have expressed just how much of a great experience it is to be involved with the senior side at St. George's Park.
The duo, who both signed their first professional contracts at The Hawthorns towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign, are spending the week with Carlos Corberán's group at the home of the England national teams.
The teenagers completed 45 minutes each against Bolton Wanderers in the club's first pre-season friendly on Saturday, with Bostock impressing wide left and Deeming - a central midfielder by trade - slotting in at left back.
The academy graduates are adamant the time spent with the first team will be hugely beneficial for their development.
Cole Deeming said: "It’s been a really good experience being around the first team here at St. George’s Park.
"The training has been really intense, but that’s only going to help improve us as players.
"It’s been great so far. I’m really enjoying it.
"We’ve both trained with the first team before, for some sessions last season.
"Being with them for a prolonged period like this is really beneficial because we can pick things up constantly, rather than dropping in and out.
"It was massive for me to play in the friendly on Saturday against Bolton. Being an Albion fan growing up and watching the lads, to go from that to playing with them in a game was a great experience and it’s only going to benefit both of us going forward.
“Hopefully it will help improve our quality."
Ollie Bostock added: "It’s been a week full of good experiences so far. Being here and training with the senior side is only going to make us better players, which is great for us.
"It's good to get a feel for the level. We’ve had lots of little bits of technical and tactical information from the coaching staff, so we’re trying to take that on board.
"The quality of sessions is a lot higher than what you’re used to, but this is the first team and it’s going to be like that.
"The pace of the play is a lot quicker. The intensity is a lot higher so you’ve got to be able to match that, but you do get tired a lot quicker.
"It was a great experience for me to play against Bolton. When you’re in it, it just feels like a normal game of football but the standard is obviously a lot higher and you just want to do as well as possible."
The 17-year-olds also praised the senior players in the group for the way they've welcomed the younger boys and included them in off-field activities at St. George's Park.
Deeming said: "The senior players have been great with us and they’ve been very welcoming.
"We’ve got a lot of spare time in between sessions so they’ve been involving us in some of the games that we’ve got here at St. George’s Park like table tennis and putting challenges. It's made it easy to settle and feel comfortable."
Bostock followed on: "They’ve all been good, but the players who play in my position have been really good because they can give you little pointers on the pitch and then they can involve you with stuff off it as well."
