Exclusive: Bilic tipped to leave big-name West Brom player out of starting XI v Leicester
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 tipped Hal Robson-Kanu to start up front for West Brom against Leicester on Sunday with Charlie Austin being left on the bench.
Robson-Kanu, 31, started more Championship matches than Austin, also 31, last season as the Baggies won promotion to the Premier League with both forwards scoring 10 league goals each.
Austin started in the 0-0 pre-season friendly draw with Brighton last week while Robson-Kanu has been away on international duty with Wales.
Phillips admits that Slaven Bilic faces a difficult decision on who to start up front without Albion bringing in a new striker since the end of last season.
But he reckons that Robson-Kanu will get the nod.
“It’s a tough one,” Phillips told West Brom News when asked who’ll start up front against Leicester.
“Charlie played the back-end of last season and didn’t really get the goals he would’ve liked but certainly put a shift in.
“Robson-Kanu went through a spell where he was flying and then went off the boil a little bit and was then left out.
“If you pushed me, I’d probably go with Robson-Kanu. It’s just my own personal preference.
“He might offer that little bit more than Charlie. Charlie’s got that Premier League experience but Robson-Kanu’s got the international experience on top of that.
“But it’s a flip of a coin really. I imagine it’ll go to who’s training best but at the end of last season, it looked like Slaven preferred Austin.”
It really highlights how West Brom have failed to improve the squad since the end of last season if Robson-Kanu starts up front against Leicester.
Brendan Rodgers has some of the best defenders in the Premier League and we doubt they will be bamboozled by the former Reading attacker, who has 12 goals in his 75 top-flight appearances in England.
Austin is more proven in the Premier League and the fact he’s spent more time at the trainig ground in the last few weeks suggets to us that he could start.
But the selection dilemma in that area of the squad is definitely not a good headache for Bilic to have.
In other West Brom news, Richard Keys has tipped Bilic to leave The Hawthorns before Christmas.
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