Erik Pieters shares injury update amid ‘unique’ West Brom situation
Erik Pieters has revealed he is taking painkillers and undergoing a “unique” training schedule to remain for fit for West Brom selection.
The 34-year-old has been a mainstay in Albion’s starting eleven under Carlos Corberan having featured in 27 Championship fixtures.
However, in order to stay fit, the Dutch defender has revealed he is managing a knee problem that he picked up during the 2-0 loss to Birmingham at the start of February.
“After the Birmingham away game, I got a little push and then I felt something in my knee,” said Pieters (The Express and Star, 30 March).
“When your body feels good it’s fine, but when you have a knock here and there it’s hard to completely recover from the knock.
“So you just get a painkiller in there and you just go again. The moment you have time to rest, you rest. For me, this is the first time I’ve properly played in the Championship, and it’s a hard league.”
Impressive
Pieters is entering the latter stages of his career, so for him to be an ever-present in a Championship campaign is mightily impressive. He clearly knows how to maintain his fitness and has managed it extremely well throughout the 2022/23 season.
Corberan will be desperate for the former Stoke defender to stay fit during the run-in. Saturday’s fixture against Millwall is shaping up to be a season-defining one for the Baggies. The South London side sit five points ahead of Albion, having played one game more.
With Millwall occupying the last playoff place, there’s a chance for West Brom to close the gap between themselves and the top six. With a number of teams vying for the playoffs, any mistake will be punished and Corberan’s side can ill-afford a slip-up on Saturday (1 April).
The Hawthorns has been a fortress under the Spaniard and that will need to continue when Gary Rowett’s men make the trip to the West Midlands.
In other West Brom news, a defender may never feature for the club again after what happened and may even leave for free.