Winger Will Shorrock has signed an extension to his Walsall contract that will keep him at the club until the end of this season.
The 18-year-old initially signed a short-term contract in the summer that expired last Saturday.
And Shorrock has now put pen-to-paper on fresh terms to keep him at the club until the end of the current season.
Shorrock has made three appearances for the senior side in total, all in the Checkatrade Trophy.
The youngster looked bright in his most recent appearance, coming on as a late substitute in the 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion’s U21s at the Banks’s Stadium a fortnight ago.
“A lot of hard work has gone into it so I’m pleased with the contract,” said Shorrock.
“It gives me a boost of confidence. I started out in pre-season and it came to an end - I got a ‘well done’ and I’ve got my reward - but now the same process starts again.
“The manager (Jon Whitney) has been praising me and he’s credited my attitude more than anything.
“I stay behind after training and do extras - it’s attitude first and ability comes after.
“The manager has been telling me to keep it up and keep my standards high and I’ll work my way into the first team eventually."
With Academy graduates Kieron Morris, Kory Roberts, Liam Roberts and Liam Kinsella - among others - all around the first-team squad at present, Shorrock knows he is at the right club to develop.
And the young winger believes being able to train with the first-team will only help him, and the other Saddlers youngsters, develop as players.
“They’ve inspired me, although they’re two or three years older than me," Shorrock said of the Academy graduates currently battling for a first-team spot.
“It shows that the Academy brings through players here.
“At other clubs you don’t even train at the same facility as the first team. Here, we get opportunities to prove ourselves in training every day because we train with the first team.
“We get match-time as well, loads of reserve games, so we get loads of opportunities to prove ourselves.
“With Kory, it’s his attitude. With Kins it’s his attitude. They do extras in training and train as they play, and that runs throughout the club."
Shorrock is also getting the opportunity to learn from the senior players in The Saddlers' first team - and believes he is gaining the confidence to play his own game as a result.
“Watching the senior players train and play, you’re learning from them.
“They keep you motivated and keep you going in training - if you make a mistake, they tell you not to worry about it.
“They give you confidence and motivation to get on the ball and play at your own game.”