West Brom new boy Kean Bryan still not ready for his debut
West Brom new boy Kean Bryan is still not ready for his first-team debut, according to Valerien Ismael.
The 24-year-old was signed outside of the transfer window after Dara O’Shea suffered a serious injury and he turned down a new contract at Sheffield United.
However, he is still not ready to play for Ismael’s side yet, and the Frenchman provided an update on his situation [Birmingham Mail].
He said: “He’s playing today 45 minutes with the under-23s.
“We have raised the intensity in his work, but we don’t want to rush it and take any risks.
“We need to get that feeling that he is ready to compete and help us. At the minute, we have found a solution. We have some time.”
Bryan is still a little way off.
The centre-back joined the Baggies as cover for the other centre-backs in the squad, but given the intense way that Ismael likes to play, it appears as if the defender is not yet ready.
Bryan has a little bit of Premier League experience and was wanted by other clubs in the summer transfer window, so he could prove to be a useful player in time [Birmingham Mail].
However, as it stands, Bryan is still not up to the required fitness levels to play for the Frenchman, which is a shame.
We were hoping to see Bryan thrown straight into the action, but it appears as if he needs to play some more Under-23s games before he is allowed to make his first-team debut.
Ismael is clearly prepared to be patient with the centre-back, and ultimately, that could prove to be a very wise choice for both the club and the player, and we look forward to seeing what Bryan can do for the Baggies.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips wants to see one player handed a chance against Preston.