Steve Bruce has told talkSPORT how delighted he is to see one of his ex-EFL stars finally make his Premier League debut last weekend.The legendary former Premier League boss has overseen the careers of hundreds of players across the 12 clubs he has managed.Thomas-Asante made his Premier League debut against the reigning champions ArsenalGettyThe 65-year-old, who is now a talkSPORT regular, hasn’t been in the dugout since October 2025, when he was let go by Blackpool.Bruce, who has been tipped for a management return at the top level, admitted poor recruitment led to him being axed at Bloomfield Road.The same can’t be said of his West Brom tenure, in which he plucked Brandon Thomas-Asante from Salford City for £300,000 in 2022.The 27-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise to make his Premier League debut for Coventry City in their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.Thomas-Asante scored 13 goals and registered four assists under Frank Lampard to help the Sky Blues win the Championship title.He was part of Ghana’s World Cup squad this summer, coming off the bench to set up the Black Stars’ winner against Panama – although he was an unused substitute in their goalless draw with England.Only four years ago Thomas-Asante was playing alongside Bruce’s son Alex at Salford, having embarked on a non-league tour before that.Steve Bruce opens up on Brandon Thomas-AsanteSpeaking to talkSPORT.com on behalf of Free Bets, home of the best UK betting sites, the Manchester United legend said: “When I was out of work I watched a bit of Salford with my son being there, and I always thought, ‘He’s got something.’“You’d give him the ball, and something can happen.”Salford City co-owner Neville had mixed emotions when getting the call from his old Manchester United teammate about Thomas-AsanteThe reason Bruce got the West Brom sackThomas-Asante, who joined West Brom on deadline day 2022, scored a last-gasp equaliser on his debut to earn a 1-1 draw against Burnley.He followed that up with another goal on his second appearance for the club, but their partnership ended a month later when Bruce was sacked following a goalless draw at home to Luton Town.The ex-Sunderland and Newcastle gaffer even admitted that his decision to hook Thomas-Asante against the Hatters led to his demise, with the Hawthorns crowd turning against him. Bruce added to talkSPORT: “I remember saying to him at West Brom, and it was a big, big occasion for him with all his family, and you could feel that hunger and desire.“I think after half an hour at West Brom, he became a cult hero all of a sudden. In fact, the reason why I got the sack really at West Brom was I took him off.Thomas-Asante applauding the West Brom fans after he was withdrawn against Luton in Bruce’s final game in chargeGettyHe ultimately scored 18 Championship goals over two seasons for the Baggies“I took them off, and the crowd shouted, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’“I brought on Karlan Grant, who was 15 million quid’s worth.“But yeah, I mean I’m delighted. Look, that’s the nice part of management when you’ve given somebody a chance, and I believe there’s still some younger players in and around the EFL who need a break.“He’s certainly one who proves the point. He went on, and now he’s playing in the Premier League. I’m delighted for him. “He’s a good kid with a big heart, and I hope he does well.”Bruce watched his old West Brom side against his son Alex’s Rotherham United in the Carabao Cup earlier this monthGettySteve Bruce still misses managementHaving managed over 1000 games in his post-playing career, Bruce told talkSPORT: “Look at how blessed I have been.“I’ve been very fortunate, I think somebody up there, though, to have both Sheffield clubs, both the Northeast clubs, three clubs in the Midlands. “I’ve managed big clubs and managed their rivals, but look now I’ve been blessed that I’ve had the opportunity to manage over a thousand games.“Especially when I was younger, I always thought I’m not going to be able to do this… I had three, four clubs within two years. “It took me a while to settle down. I still miss it to this day.“Still miss it to this day, the day-in and day-out of preparing the team and getting the team ready for the weekend.”