Jordan Hugill reveals he was forced to train alone at West Brom
Jordan Hugill has revealed that he was forced to train alone at times during his loan spell at West Brom this season, while speaking on the EFL Podcast.
The 29-year-old striker joined the Baggies on loan for the season from Norwich last summer, but scored just once in 20 appearances before being shipped back away in January.
He ended up joining Cardiff City for the remainder of the season and has scored three times in 11 games, but he has now revealed that he got kicked to the curb even before January’s exit by being forced to train alone by Valerien Ismael.
“There were times at West Brom when things weren’t going my way,” he said. “I was getting left out the squad and training on my own and for me sometimes a little break away from football.
“I like proving people wrong. People expect you in those situations to just chuck your toys out the pram and not do what you’re told. But when it’s asked of me in that way, I go to a different level. I work harder. I do extras. I go to the gym every day. I do go around with heavy weights.
“Some of the best times I trained at West Brom were when they were maybe making me train on my own and then getting me back in for a few sessions. I knew what I was doing and I felt comfortable in what was going on. I wasn’t reacting in a way that they probably thought I was going to react. Then I got my head down, worked even harder, got in the gym, and I came away thinking ‘I’ve done my extras, I’ve trained well and everything that I can control, I’ve done’.
“You can only control what you can control.”
Disappointing
If there’s one word that can sum up the overall feeling around Hugill’s time at The Hawthorns, it’s disappointing.
Hugill never really managed to get on Ismael’s good side during his time at the club and his performances were regularly blunt with little to cheer for.
It was no surprise when he was allowed to leave, especially with the club signing Daryl Dike and Andy Carroll in January too, but it’s also not nice to hear that he was mistreated during his time here.
It’s a credit to the player and his people that it never came out that he was forced to train alone from the team and then get brought in randomly just because of a lack of numbers.
He did what he said, he got his head down and worked hard to try and make something for himself and when it didn’t happen he happily packed up his bags and left without too much noise.
In other West Brom news, View: West Brom ace could earn Premier League move after rejuvenation under Steve Bruce