Exclusive: Kevin Phillips admits possible behind-the-scenes mistake over West Brom ace
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has admitted that there’s a possibility West Brom could have rushed Grady Diangana back from his injury too soon in January.
Diangana, 21, was a stand-out player for the Baggies in the first half of the campaign but an injury in the win against Birmingham on December 14 led to him missing the next four Championship games.
He returned by coming off the bench for the last 20 minutes of the draw with Charlton on January 11 before Slaven Bilic named him in his starting line-up for the home clash with Stoke nine days later.
However just four minutes into that appearance, the on-loan West Ham winger broke down with what seemed to be a recurrence of his hamstring injury.
Diangana is yet to return from that setback with him missing the last eight league games but Bilic has recently confirmed he should be back in contention to play within the coming weeks.
Phillips is adamant that West Brom didn’t rush Diangana back from his injury too soon on purpose in January but he does admit it looks as though they might have.
“I’ve seen it in cases when I’ve worked at a club that yes, your important players [are rushed back into the side],” Phillips told West Brom News.
“It happened to me in my career. I got rushed back after three months, never played a single reserves game and got chucked straight back into the first team.
“It happens but I’m not suggesting it’s happened on this occasion.
“I think he broke down within 15 minutes of his comeback so you kind of suggest that it’s a possibility, but only the medical staff can say.
“I’m pretty sure that between the medical staff and the manager they wouldn’t put a player into a starting line-up unless he’d gone through every fitness and medical test there was going. It might just be one of those unfortunate ones.”
West Brom were missing Diangana massively during his first spell on the sidelines as after he went off in the win at Birmingham, Albion failed to win their next four league games.
Diangana then came back to play for 24 minutes in two matches, which also failed to result in wins, before he was sidelined again.
He then missed the defeat to Cardiff as West Brom’s woes without him continued but Callum Robinson’s arrival at the end of January helped sort out that rotten run.
Robinson, 25, has been superb since joining on loan from Sheffield United and although he wasn’t at his best against Wigan on Saturday, Diangana might find it hard to take the former Preston winger’s starting spot off him once he’s back.
In other West Brom news, Phillips has claimed this player has become a “major force” in Europe since leaving The Hawthorns.