Ben Brown

Fri 22 April 2022 20:10, UK

West Brom defender Dara O’Shea has praised the attitude of teammate Daryl Dike in his bid to return to fitness after a tricky start to life at the club.

Dike injured his hamstring in his first start for the Baggies against Peterborough and has since suffered a further complication which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season.

However O’Shea, who himself recently came back from long term injury, has backed the American to make a big impact at the Hawthorns alongside Andy Carroll once fully fit.

“Those two together would be a real handful,” the Republic of Ireland international told the Express & Star (22 April).

“Dike coming back is going to be huge for us. The fans saw a glimpse of what he can do in the two games he played.

“But in training he has been working really hard and is clearly very motivated to get back fit.

“He is going to be massive for us. And the two of them together – I wouldn’t want to come up against them put it that way.

Second Chance

Dike was supposed to be a key man for Steve Bruce’s men when he arrived to much fanfare from Orlando City in January.

He was a crucial part of Barnsley’s unlikely playoff run last season and it was hoped his goals could help propel the Baggies to similar success.

That was all written off against Peterborough, and the season looks to be heading in a similar direction with the club set to finish in disappointing mid-table obscurity.

One positive is it means there’s no sense in rushing Dike back to play a part in the final Championship fixtures, so the 21-year-old can focus solely on being in top shape for the next campaign.

Bruce will need to see his side be a lot more clinical than they have been this year and managing Dike correctly could yet prove to be a key piece in that puzzle.

In other West Brom news, Bruce has made a big admission over his future at the club.

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