Dean Ryan has backed young centre Aneurin Owen to have a big future and spoken of his excitement in watching the young playmaker develop.
Wales Under-20s ace Owen is yet to make his debut for Dragons but has trained with the senior squad this season and impressed Director of Dragons Rugby Ryan.
Ryan admits the 19-year-old from Newport is "probably the best at playing flat that I have seen”.
And he is now hoping the homegrown Dragons Academy graduate can follows the likes of Taine Basham and have a breakthrough season in senior rugby.
"Aneurin has a great future ahead of him," said Ryan.
"We've talked a lot about exciting youngsters like Taine and others who got their first experiences in the Guinness PRO14 and are on the fringes of the Welsh squad, but Aneurin is somebody who I have been incredibly impressed by.
"He has trained with us all year in the first-team environment and gone on to play for Wales Under-20s, but I am really excited about how he goes on to take that next step in the Guinness PRO14.
"We've got to be cautious because we have to do it at the right time but I would be surprised if we haven't seen a lot of Aneurin by the end of this year."
Ryan is also confident that training alongside the likes of new recruit Nick Tompkins will rub off on Owen and aid his eye-catching development.
"It's a great opportunity to have someone like Nick around Aneurin," added Ryan.
"People talk about the value of Nick but if you are Aneurin then this is a crucial year and it will be an enormous help to play alongside somebody with that experience.
"That's where the value of Nick comes, when you see the growth of Aneurin over the next 12 months."
He has trained with us all year in the first-team environment and gone on to play for Wales Under-20s, but I am really excited about how he goes on to take that next step in the Guinness PRO14...
