Slaven Bilic explains absence of Charlie Austin in 5-2 defeat v Everton
West Brom unsurprisingly went with the exact same team from their Premier League opener against Everton on Saturday.
For large periods of the game at Goodison Park, that worked superbly. The Baggies were in control in the first half, but the Kieran Gibbs red card turned the game on its head.
Slaven Bilic’s men went on to fall to a devastating 5-2 defeat, which sees them sat rock bottom in the Premier League after two games.
There were a number of notable absences in Merseyside, with Charlie Austin not included in the matchday squad despite his start against Harrogate.
Bilic explained the decisions, claiming that Ahmed Hegazi missing out was the only decision that was forced upon him when questioned on the forward.
“All the other decisions on the other players – apart from Hegazi – Kenneth Zohore is fit, they were just football decisions,” he told Birmingham Live.
The decision to leave Austin out of the matchday squad came only days after he started the crushing win over Harrogate, with Bilic clearly not impressed.
Recent reports from the Athletic have even suggested that the Baggies are now open to entertaining offers for the experienced forward as they look to strengthen in the final third.
This may have been described as a “football decision” but as the deadline closes in, it appears that Austin is heading towards the exit door at the Hawthorns, with this the first real sign.
In other West Brom news, Match of the Day pundit slams Mike Dean for decision in the Everton clash
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