West Brom player withdraws from international duty after injury blow
West Brom have confirmed that Hal Robson-Kanu broke his arm during the Baggies’ 2-0 loss to Southampton on Sunday.
In a statement, the club confirmed he sustained the injury after ‘tangling with a Saints defender’, and that he will have surgery on Wednesday after withdrawing from international duty with Wales.
Robson-Kanu was brought on off the bench in the second half at St Mary’s, and played on for over 15 minutes with his broken arm, refusing to come off as the Baggies had already made three substitutions.
The Welsh international replaced Callum Robinson, who had struggled to make an impact against Southampton’s defence.
With Robson-Kanu ruled out for a number of weeks or potentially months, there is now a real need to bring a striker to the Hawthorns. Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore are reportedly leaving West Brom, and should those moves transpire, Robinson would be the only fit first-team striker at the club.
The 25-year-old has shown glimpses of quality as a forward, most notably his brace in the Baggies’ 3-3 draw with Chelsea, but similarly to last weekend, he struggled against Leicester and Everton and shouldn’t be Slaven Bilic’s first-choice striker this season.
A deal to bring long term target Karlan Grant to the Hawthorns from Huddersfield could still happen up to the closure of the domestic transfer window on October 16. Robson-Kanu’s injury could see the Baggies make inroads on that deal, to get another striker at the club as quickly as possible.
West Brom take on Burnley in their first match after the international break, and Baggies fans will be hoping that there is a new striker to lead their line by the time that game kicks off.
Burnley will travel to The Hawthorns without a point on the board in the Premier League, and West Brom will see this is a huge opportunity to get their first league win and kick start their season.
In other West Brom news, West Brom & Aston Villa lock horns in battle to sign international striker valued £10m – reports.
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