Neil Warnock has urged Gavin Whyte to be more streetwise if he wants to make the most of his growing impact at Cardiff City.
The Bluebirds manager was full of praise for the 23-year-old Northern Irishman after the part he played in Cardiff’s 1-0 victory at home to Middlesbrough.
Whyte was a constant threat to Boro as Warnock’s side made it five Championship matches unbeaten thanks to an early own goal by Ashley Fletcher.
The manager, though, wants Whyte to be more willing to reap the rewards of the fouls he draws from opposition defenders, who find his pace and trickery difficult to counter.
“He’s a little bit naïve,” said Warnock about the winger who joined Cardiff from Oxford United for £2m in the summer.
“I look at some of the free-kicks their players got and some Gavin could have got, and you might say I shouldn’t encourage him to do that, but it needs to be a little bit more professional at times.
“He doesn’t know any different. Will that take away the naivety and freshness and enjoyment that I get from watching him?
“I always tell him, ‘when you get it, run at them. Inside, outside, go and enjoy it.’ And he looks like he’s enjoying it. That’s what the game is all about.”
Cardiff should have made their victory more comfortable against a toothless Boro side, but Omar Bogle, Callum Paterson and Aden Flint were all unable to take the chances that came their way.
It mattered little in the end, though, as the visitors were so lacking in attacking threat they were unable to muster a single shot on target.
The win means Cardiff have now won three, drawn three and lost two of their opening eight matches and leaves them three points off the play-off places in 13th spot.
Warnock, though, feels the display of a side hit by sickness both before and during the game was a step nearer the kind of performance level he is seeking – even if he thinks there is still a lot more to come.
He added: “I thought it was a good performance. I told the lads that it was more like us.
“Against a good team, I don’t think we gave them much of a look in, we were dominant. There were a lot of pluses for us today – not just the workrate, but the football we played as well.
“I’m pleased with Leandro Bacuna and Gavin Whyte. Joe Ralls played with another injury today and you wouldn’t have thought he was struggling the way he put himself about.”
“Every game is different. We haven’t won away from home yet, even though we have had opportunities. I just think we are getting more like us. We know where we are.
“When you get good backing from the fans as well, there is no place like this place. You can’t tell me another stadium in England and Wales with the atmosphere as good as that so all credit to them.”
