ANDY Gray reckons James Hanson is worth more than just goals to City.

The former Bantams striker is confident that Hanson can make an even bigger impression in his second year in League One.

But Gray believes that does not necessarily mean topping the scoring charts for the workaholic forward.

He said: “James has got all the attributes and he’s still improving.

“He can run, he can head it and he’s getting better all the time with his hold-up play. He can also score a goal and got 12 last season.

“Maybe you can argue that he should score more but it’s not always that easy for a target man. James is doing a lot of jobs for the team.

“He comes back for corners and to defend set-pieces and does a lot of things that people don’t see.

“He’s also the one up front that gets the ball played into. It’s his job to hold on to possession and look for others, so he’s not always going to get the shooting chance himself.”

Gray, who is considering his next step after leaving Valley Parade last month, hopes that City can find a long-term cure for the inflammation problem which restricted Hanson to only one start in the final nine games of the campaign.

He added: “It’s a bit of a strange one and nobody’s really got to the bottom of it. I hope it gets better because everybody know James is a valuable player in the team plans.

“You can see it when he doesn’t play. He is the focal point in the team.

“He came into the pro game late but is gaining experience all the time. He’s capable of going on to have a very good career.”