Steve Bruce delivers injury update on West Brom forward Daryl Dike
West Brom striker Daryl Dike could return to action before the November break after the American picked up a thigh injury in training four weeks ago, according to Birmingham Live.
The American international suffered the injury in training ahead of the Baggies Championship clash with Watford at The Hawthorns.
Steve Bruce has spoken of his frustration over Dike’s injury, with the 22-year-old being relatively injury-free before the 2022/23 season.
As quoted by Birmingham Live (7 September), Bruce said: “It’s a real frustration for us all, and the boy. He’s young, he’s 22, desperate to go to the World Cup with his nation, and he’s worked tirelessly to get right.
“It’s bad luck, really bad luck. You’ve got a 22-year-old who comes here and has never been injured, then he picks up three since he’s walked through the door last January.”
Birmingham Live also suggest that the striker could return before the November break, and could be allowed to go to the World Cup, depending on the progress he makes.
World Cup dilemma
Dike will have all his attention focussed on the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, with the 22-year-old desperate to play for the United States, who feature in the same group as England.
However, this could be an issue for the Baggies, with Dike potentially rushing himself back in order to secure a seat on the plane to Qatar.
If there wasn’t a World Cup round the corner, West Brom would probably have far more control over the decision surrounding his fitness.
Thigh injuries often come from innocuous moments in training and in games and can take a long time to fully heal and Bruce will be hoping the American is back to full fitness before looking at his World Cup hopes.
The Baggies have added Brandon Thomas-Asante to their ranks in the hope of adding more attacking firepower to their ranks.
However, all their goalscoring hopes cannot be placed on the former Salford man with the 2022/23 season being his first taste of Championship football.
Dike returning fully fit before the World Cup break will be a huge boost for Bruce going forward.
In other West Brom news, the Republic of Ireland international has already bid farewell to Albion on Twitter.