Crusaders manager Declan Caddell insists striker Adam Brooks has “come back hungry" for the new Irish League season – and hopes the Scottish star can follow a similar path to fellow countryman Fraser Bryden in lighting up the Premiership.

Brooks arrived at Seaview last summer alongside Bryden, who earned a move to Chesterfield in July after scoring 23 league goals in his debut campaign.

Former Celtic youngster Brooks finished second on Crusaders’ goalscoring charts having netted seven times in the Premiership and has looked sharp throughout pre-season.

The 22-year-old – alongside summer recruit Aaron Reid – will be trusted to fill the void left by Bryden’s departure to England as Crusaders aim to bounce back from a disappointing campaign last term.

placeholder image — Crusaders manager Declan Caddell. (Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

Caddell has proven his ability to get the best out of young strikers with Kieran Offord and Bryden earning big moves after spending a short period in North Belfast, and Brooks could potentially be next.

"He's come back sharp, he's come back hungry,” said Caddell ahead of Friday’s opener against rivals Cliftonville. “All the players, when you see that pathway of Fraser and where he's come from, to do what he's done, that's what you all want.

"That should give them ammunition, that hunger to push on and leave everything on the pitch this year.

"These younger players are all wanting an opportunity. The main thing for me is creating an environment where they can grow and are allowed to develop and allowed to flourish.

"I feel we have that at Crusaders and the track record so far is there for it.

"I take a lot of pride in that too, coming from a youth development background. That only gives a benefit to the player, benefits me, and benefits the club, most importantly.”

Caddell’s squad was dealt a further blow this summer with the exit of goalkeeper Musa Dibaga, who joined Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic.

The Crues have benefitted financially from both Dibaga and Bryden moving on – the latter left in a deal worth £120,000 – and Caddell knows that model will likely have to continue for the foreseeable future.

"You're hoping you get one away every year,” he added. “Obviously Kieran wasn't our player but this year you've got Musa and Fraser going – that benefits the club.

"In terms of building a squad, it gives me the opportunity to go and add a wee bit of depth, a wee bit of quality in areas that maybe we don't have as well and that's how I have to build my squad.

"I can't go out and just sign whoever I want.

"I was asked the same question when Kieran Offord went in January, ‘how are you going to replace those goals?’. We got Fraser in.

"We have an outstanding centre forward in Adam Brooks, who I probably misused a bit last year in terms of playing him up top, left, right.

"Technically, because he's such a good player, you use him in different positions because you know he'll give everything.

"We’ve signed Aaron Reid, who is the complete opposite of Brooks – he’s six foot four, a battering ram up top, and he'll be a handful for a lot of defences in the league.

"It's now up to one of those to probably grab that mantle and push on.”