EVEN when he’s not involved on the pitch, it is difficult to stop talking about Zach Clough.

Given all the doom and gloom consuming the Macron Stadium at the moment, the young striker’s impending return from injury shines out like a beacon, not least to manager Neil Lennon.

The Whites boss was on hand at the start of the week to see his young charge pipped by Accrington Stanley prodigy Josh Windass for the MBNA North West Football Awards’ Rising Star prize.

But for two serious shoulder dislocations in the last 12 months, Lennon is confident the 20-year-old would have had some silverware for his now-famous nan Mavis to put on her mantelpiece.

“The impact he made was incredible for a young man,” enthused the Wanderers boss. “He got a bad injury then came back and got another one, so we’re talking about someone who hasn’t really played a lot of football; 15 to 20 games maybe?

“For him to be even recognised is fantastic for him, so now he’s got to take that on board and go and prove himself again.

“I’ve no doubt he will. There is no question of his talent and we have missed him a lot.

“Young Josh Windass won the award and he’s a very talented player. But Zach is playing at a higher level and in a team that hasn’t been productive in terms of goals – but he’s scored a good percentage of them.”

Before Clough’s injury, sustained in a goalless draw with Sheffield Wednesday in mid-September, the Premier League elite were again casting admiring glances towards the Denton-born striker.

His performances this season, following the original shoulder problem, had been well down on what they were last season – but nevertheless the scouts continued to file in.

Lennon reckons the extra attention will all be taken in Clough’s stride.

“He will be attracting a level of interest but he is a grounded lad and all young players should have that level of humility,” he said.

“He still lives and home and I think we’re very lucky to have him. We’ve got him on a long term contract and we’re going to be the club that develops him. Now whether that changes over the course of time I don’t know but that all depends on Zach too.

“You can’t manage expectation because it’s hard to stop. This is a problem we have in England – I think Zach scored six goals in 12 games and all of a sudden he was the next best thing. Everyone is looking for that rather than letting the kids develop and having a whole bunch of next best things.”

Lennon will have to do without Clough until next month, and his short-term focus remains on improving Wanderers’ results without having the luxury of cash to spend on reinforcements.

“We know results haven’t been good and we know the performances – in the main – have been okay,” he claimed. “We are not far away – a couple of penalties taken we would have been four to six points better off and out of the bottom three.

“We are not getting hammered but we can’t afford to get cut adrift. It is important we stay close to teams around us and find a consistent run of form.”