'Brilliant' Tezgel already Crewe role model - Lunt

Emre Tezgel has played for England at under-16, under-18 and under-20 levels

Crewe Alexandra striker Emre Tezgel is already proving to be someone who the rest of the squad can look up to, says player development manager Kenny Lunt.

The 20-year-old is on loan with the Alex from Championship club Stoke City and arrived with a promising reputation after becoming the Potters' youngest ever first-team player, aged 16, in 2022.

Tezgel has enhanced his standing at the Mornflake Stadium with both his exploits on the pitch - five goals in his last seven games - and his attitude off it.

"He's been brilliant," Lunt told BBC Radio Stoke.

"He found it hard to get in the team and probably needed to catch up a bit but his attitude has been [so good], he is someone the younger lads could look up to, even though he's a young lad himself.

"He's behaved in the right manner, wants to do his best and do extra in training to get the best out of himself.

"He's someone who the rest of the lads, when they're not in the team, can follow.

"When he's played, everyone's seen how good he is. He gets on with everyone and the lads love him."

Tezgel had to be patient for his chance to start in League Two but earned a full debut in their seventh game at Colchester, four days after scoring a hat-trick against them in the Vertu Trophy.

After a run of seven games without a goal, Tezgel fired another treble in a 3-2 win over Grimsby in October.

Tezgel's fourth league goal - and ninth overall - so far this season came from the penalty spot in last Saturday's 3-3 thriller against Chesterfield.

"He's a top finisher," said Lunt.

"When you see him get a chance, you think he's going to score. But I wouldn't just go on about his finishing - his all-round game, what he does for the team, his work-rate, his assists, he's more than just a goalscorer, he's a top player."

Crewe's fabled academy has produced a number of notable graduates who have moved on to play further up the pyramid and gain international recognition over the years.

Strikers like Dean Ashton, Rob Hulse, Mark Rivers, Shaun Miller and Nicky Maynard have all come through the Alex system and, although Lunt would not be drawn on direct comparisons, he said Tezgel shares similar traits.

"I don't want to bracket him with any names but he's a hungry goalscorer and we've had one or two of those here before," he said.

"He'll be himself and hopefully in the future when someone asks someone else the same question in the future [who are the best strikers], his name will be mentioned."

Kenny Lunt made more than 400 appearances as a player for Crewe and has held a number of coaching roles at the club