Kevin Phillips: West Brom senior player must seek game-time assurance from Bilic – Exclusive
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 suggested that West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi must seek assurances from Slaven Bilic if the Baggies are promoted this season.
Hegazi, 29, had been a mainstay of Albion’s defence in his first two seasons at the club but since Bilic took charge and he underwent surgery in the summer, it’s been tough for him to displace Kyle Bartley in the back-four.
Across all competitions, the Egypt international has made 12 appearances this season, with eight of them being starts in the Championship.
The former Fiorentina defender was linked with a move away from The Hawthorns in the winter with Sky Sports reporting that Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad tabled a £3.4million bid for him.
While Albion rejected that offer, Hegazi has still not had as much game-time as he perhaps thought he would have this term.
And ex-West Brom forward Phillips reckons that if his former club is promoted, Hegazi should hold discussion with Bilic about his role at The Hawthorns.
“Only the player will know [if he’s considering his future],” Phillip told West Brom News. “Let’s wait and see where we are next season.
“If we’re in the Premier League then I certainly wouldn’t want to be moving but I would want some assurances about getting game-time – that’s a conversation for him and the manager.”
When it was first reported that Hegazi would miss the opening months of the season, everyone assumed that he would be back in the side as soon as he was fit enough.
However Bartley and Semi Ajayi were in great form at the back for most of the season and only recently had Hegazi replaced Bartley before he suffered another injury setback.
Hegazi’s not done a lot wrong in his appearance for the Baggies this season but injuries may well be his downfall at the club.
In other West Brom news, Charlie Austin’s situation has been clarified.