Exclusive: Phillips excited by West Brom ‘prospect’ who didn’t look out of place v PL players
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 is excited by the potential that Rekeem Harper showcased as West Brom lost to Newcastle United in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
Harper, 19, has started Albion’s last three matches due to Romaine Sawyers’ suspension and he managed to impress in the 2-0 win over Preston before playing in back-to-back defeats against Wigan and Newcastle.
While he – and most of his team-mates – will want to forget about the performance against Wigan as soon as possible, Harper managed to shine despite the Baggies being knocked out of the FA Cup earlier this week.
One person who was impressed by what he saw from Harper was ex-West Brom striker Phillips, who thought the youngster did a great job and justified Slaven Bilic’s decision to rest Filip Krovinovic.
“I understand why [Krovinovic] didn’t start. I thought Rekeem Harper looked a good player. He didn’t look out of place playing against Premier League players so he’s certainly an exciting prospect,” Phillips told West Brom News.
Harper has found it tough to get opportunities at The Hawthorns this season.
He featured regularly last term while Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan were in charge but he had to wait until the Preston game last month to get his first Championship start under Bilic.
It’s fair to say that Harper has definitely won back his place in the side and he really should be above Chris Brunt and Gareth Barry in the central-midfield pecking order now.
Unfortunately for him, Sawyers’ ban is now over and it’s likely Harper will be dropped from the side from now until there’s another selection issue Bilic has to fix in his midfield.
In other West Brom news, Darren Fletcher has criticised Albion fans for the poor atmosphere at The Hawthorns on Tuesday.