Emile Heskey has urged Jay Stansfield to keep the faith and backed the Birmingham City striker to rediscover his goalscoring touch.
Stansfield has scored just once in eight games so far this season, but former England and Leicester City striker Heskey believes the 22-year-old remains a “fantastic player” with the potential to be among the best.
Speaking exclusively to 10bet, Heskey said Stansfield’s current struggles should not undermine his confidence.
“I think Jay’s still got to stay confident. He’s a fantastic player and he’s shown that,” said the former Liverpool striker.
“You don’t lose your knack for goals, you just lose the confidence sometimes, and you probably snatch at things that came more naturally before. So he’s got to get that instinct back.
“He might even be doubting himself, but you should never doubt yourself.
“You’re in that position because you’ve shown that you can do it time and time again.”
Stansfield has elite potential
Heskey believes Stansfield’s previous achievements are proof that he has the ability to overcome his current barren spell.
“Sometimes they just come. Sometimes they come in purple patches, sometimes they come for a whole season,” he added.
“As a player, your confidence goes up and down anyway. I think he just needs to stay confident.
“He knows he’s a great player, he’s been in the England set-ups and everything, so you don’t get there unless you’re elite level or have elite potential. Just keep plugging away.”
Heskey’s backing comes as Birmingham look to build on their return to the Championship.
The Blues secured promotion last season and, having established themselves back in the second tier, Heskey believes their ambitions should now extend to challenging for the play-offs.
Birmingham must target the play-offs
Asked about Birmingham’s prospects this season, Heskey said: “I think that’s got to be the main aim for Birmingham this season.
“Last season I was saying the most important thing for Birmingham City is to consolidate.
“The club needed to consolidate in the Championship after getting promoted and get to understand the division.
“They needed to give themselves a platform to build from.
“They’ve done that now, so the next step is pushing into the play-offs or for straight promotion.”
Heskey warns Birmingham: Football is not easy
Heskey also stressed the challenges facing clubs when new ownership arrives, warning that success cannot simply be bought.
“Football is not easy. People think, ‘Yeah, just come in and spend this money,’ and we’ve seen it time and time again here and abroad.
“You’ve got to build something with a foundation that will help you continue to build and continue with the platform.
“Football’s massive. It’s got this draw, it’s got this razzmatazz, it’s got this energy that people think they can crack and do something different and make it look easy.
“But you don’t realise how unique and difficult it is until you actually get in.”
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