Steve Bruce keen to transform West Brom player Grady Diangana
Steve Bruce has admitted he relishes the task of getting the best out of West Brom winger Grady Diangana.
The 23-year-old has struggled to show the form that earned him a permanent move to the Hawthorns whilst on loan with the Baggies from West Ham.
Bruce was full of praise for the youngster, claiming he has all of the ‘potential’ to be one the club’s star players.
“Under Slaven a couple of years ago in the Championship, when he was here on loan, he was the best player in the league at that moment – that was my thought,” Bruce told Birmingham Live.
“You looked at West Brom and he was always a major threat. What’s happened over the last 12, 18 months can sometimes happen to a young player. We’ve got to get him firing because he’s a talent, he excites people, he’s got all the potential to be a crowd favourite and he’s got really good natural ability.
“We’ve got to get it out of him. It’s a big challenge, but it’s one I relish. The kid’s got wonderful balance. He’s a really good footballer.”
Potential
Diangana was excellent during his loan spell with Albion which got him a much-earned permanent move.
He is a player with undeniable talent and quality which was clear with the fume the West Ham fans showed upon his departure from the club.
As Bruce stated, he is still fairly young and is learning his trade and many players go through similar lulls in form at his age and nine times out of ten come off better thanks to it.
Bruce would have spotted the players in the squad who he can influence and improve and will consequently try and target them in order to get the best out of them.
This is definitely the case with Diangana as not only does he hold the potential to be one of the Baggies best players, but Bruce might have to rely on him in the coming weeks with Matt Phillips set for a spell on the side-lines.
It will be very interesting to see what the former Newcastle boss can get out of the winger.
In other Albion news, Steve Bruce addresses West Brom players’ discipline problem.