How Jay Stansfield has reacted to Chris Davies' Jamie Vardy comparison at Birmingham City | OneFootball

The Blues boss recently compared his prized asset to his former Leicester City colleague

Birmingham City forward and club-record signing Jay Stansfield has described being compared to former Premier League winner and England international, Jamie Vardy, as a "privilege".

The 22-year-old discussed such comments, which were made by Blues boss, Chris Davies, as well as a wide range of other topics on talkSPORT's early-morning show, which was being hosted by Jeff Stelling alongside former Aston Villa striker and previous scourge of their cross-city rivals, Gabby Agbonlahor, at the club's Elite Performance and Innovation Centre training facility at Henley-in-Arden on Thursday.

Stansfield has been in the headlines for a plethora of reasons throughout what is now a three-season long stint at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, having initially joined the club on loan from Fulham under the management of John Eustace in what was the current Derby County boss' final transfer window in B9, but also the first under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management.

The American investment firm, fronted by majority owner, Tom Wagner, have, in the past year, significantly backed current manager Chris Davies to the hill when it comes to the number of signings made throughout the 40-year-old's first three windows in the Second City, on top of the profile boasted by many of those recruits and the significant transfer fees parted with in order to secure their services.

The England Under-21 is the epitome of such circumstances, with Birmingham eventually able to offer the Cottagers an eight-figure fee in the dying hours of Deadline Day last August, despite the fact they had been relegated to League One months before, with Stansfield scoring 13 goals in his temporary stint.

Unsurprisingly, the Tiverton-born forward has been seen as the 'poster boy' for the ongoing rebuilding job, which saw him net 24 goals in 46 games across Blues' record-breaking season under Davies last time out, with the Blues boss always quick to jump to Stansfield's defence amid well-documented criticism, largely due to the transfer fee.

So far this season, Stansfield has remained very much amongst the goals, currently leading Blues' individual charts with seven goals in all competitions, as well as two assists.

Such exploits come after the 22-year-old was compared to Vardy in the lead up to the season opener against Ipswich Town, in which the striker netted the first goal of the entire Championship season with a poacher's strike after Kyogo Furuhashi could only hit the post beforehand.

After seeing Blues' prized asset help the Young Lions, managed by former midfielder and local boy, Lee Carsley, retain the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia, Davies told Sky Sports: "This is an exciting time for Jay. He has everything I love.

"He is just full of energy, works so hard, has technique and intelligence. Having worked with Jamie Vardy, I think Jay is in that mould of striker who can be so dangerous with their movement, cleverness and speed. I am looking forward to seeing him develop."

When asked for his thoughts on those comments by Stelling, Stansfield said: "It's a big name. Growing up as a kid, obviously you watch a lot of football, and he's an unbelievable forward.

"To be able to watch him and be compared to someone like that is special. It's just a privilege.

"To be able to go out on the pitch and do my thing, and then people compare me to people like that. Yes, it's special," the striker added.

Jay Stansfield, Jamie Vardy comparison is high praise from Chris Davies at Birmingham City

With there still being many years ahead for Stansfield in his career, such comparisons are high praise indeed.

Having worked with Vardy at Leicester under Brendan Rodgers, as well as the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suárez at Liverpool, Davies is no stranger when it comes to analysing what makes a centre-forward an elite standard.

In the past three years, Stansfield has showcased that he is one of the very best within the EFL circle, and will hope to eventually showcase his ability in the Premier League and beyond, having been restricted to just four top-flight appearances with Fulham.

The striker is also under contract in the West Midlands until at least 2031 at present, having penned a remarkable seven-year deal last summer, which at present, is also the first season in which the club hope to be playing Premier League football at their upcoming 62,000-seater stadium as part of the Sports Quarter complex.