Taylor Gardner-Hickman in line to start for West Brom v Rotherham – Joe Chapman
Taylor Gardner-Hickman is in line to start for West Brom against Rotherham on Good Friday with Okay Yokuslu out injured, according to Joe Chapman.
The academy starlet has had his game time restricted this season under Carlos Corberan after breaking into the team last season, making just eight starts in the Championship this season.
But with Turkey international Yokuslu out with an ankle injury and Jayson Molumby ruled out until the end of the season, there is an opportunity for the 21-year-old to make an impression from the start.
“Been to see Carlos today,” the Birmingham Live journalist wrote on his personal Twitter account (6 April).
“Confirms that Okay Yokuslu will miss tomorrow’s game. Kick to the ankle v Millwall and hasn’t trained this week. Still hoping to be available for QPR on Monday.
“TGH in line to start Friday.”
Finally
When Gardner-Hickman broke into the team last season, people immediately saw his quality and believed he could be the future of the club’s midfield.
This season Yokuslu and Molumby have formed a fantastic partnership in the centre of the pitch which has been key to getting results that got us out of the relegation battle under Corberan.
This will be the first time since his first game as manager that he hasn’t had either player in the starting lineup, and it’s a chance for TGH to step up into the role and make it his own. After all, there is a reason he was described as “brilliant” not too long ago.
His versatility has potentially worked against him at times because he has filled in at full-back and wing-back too, but this is his best position and now we get to see him in a properly functioning side.
It will be a joy to watch him perform and hopefully take this chance, so the manager will know that he can rely on him going forward too and that he’s not just back up.
In other West Brom news, midfielder suffers injury blow and won’t play v Rotherham.