Will Dodds

Mon 30 November 2020 15:00, UK

West Brom under-23s manager Deon Burton said that Cheikh Diaby put in a “standout performance” for the Baggies in their 2-1 Premier League 2 defeat to Leeds United.

Diaby scored his third PL2 goal of the season in just his sixth appearance, with the Frenchman working his way back to fitness.

The 20-year-old also played 90 minutes against Exeter City in the EFL Trophy earlier this month and Burton was clearly impressed with his display against Leeds.

“The Leeds game was a really positive performance and they got a lot out of it,” he told West Brom’s official website.

“Obviously the result didn’t go our way, but the work rate and pace of our play was really good. It was a standout performance from Cheikh (Diaby) over 60 minutes. He’s getting back fit now, he played really well up top and got his goal.

“It was an invaluable experience to play against experienced players in those conditions and not only that but play very well too.”

As a former striker himself, it is great to hear Burton singing the praises of Diaby, who clearly has his supporters within The Hawthorns.

The French youngster arrived at the club in October 2019 but has seen his development slowed by injuries.

Therefore, it is exciting to see him fit and scoring goals, giving the Baggies a decision to make in January.

Academy boss Richard Stevens previously hinted that he could go out on loan in an attempt to give him some senior minutes (via Express and Star), but much will come down to how highly Slaven Bilic rates him.

The Croatian is said to be a fan of the 20-year-old after watching him in a trial match (via Birmingham Mail), but his lack of senior experience could make him think twice before giving him the first-team call-up.

If Burton and Bilic feel he can keep developing playing mainly youth football, then keeping him in the academy makes sense, but otherwise, they should consider a loan in order to aid his growth.

In other West Brom news, Kyle Bartley was blown away by Baggies team-mate