Shrewsbury boss Steve Cotterill 'would like a proper look' at AFC Telford starlet Brad Bood

The Town chief was asked whether the Bucks' teenage left-back, 18, was on the League One club's radar as Bood continues to turn heads in a breakthrough National League North campaign.

Cotterill was tight-lipped on Bood, who has trialled with Premier League Brentford and been at Stoke and Fleetwood, out of respect for neighbours Telford.

The pathway from Telford to Shrewsbury was trodden by striker Daniel Udoh, Town's 11-goal top scorer this term, in summer 2019 after being snapped up by former boss Sam Ricketts, himself an ex-Telford stopper.

When asked of Bood, who hails from the West Midlands but lives in Telford, Cotterill said: "If I did have (my eyes on him) – I wouldn't be telling you or anybody else.

"What I'd like to do is have time to have a proper look, if you know what I mean.

"As I've said before, whoever we talk about – opposition players – you don't really want to do that because you have to show the club respect.

"We have to keep who we're looking at in-house.

"Yes (it's a path), but I'm not sure at this moment in time we potentially need another Dan Udoh right now, we need another player to go alongside the Dan Udoh that has grown into what he is today.

"Otherwise you're hoiking a striker up a good few leagues again and are they going to do it?

"Our next (transfer) time, in the summer, will be to try to recruit as well as we did last summer. When you look at the calibre of players that came in last summer, they were very good.

"And Tom Flanagan as a permanent in this window, we're happy with Tom as well. It's a gradual process because if we do have any money we haven't got money to waste."

Bood has played left-back and left wing-back this season after previously featuring for the Bucks' under-18s team and playing for Shifnal Town. He has made 19 senior appearances this term.

He recently signed a first professional contract, an 18-month deal, as a reward for his impressive form and any purchase would require a significant fee.