West Brom fans can relax despite Matt Phillips blow as John Swift can light up The Hawthorns once again
West Brom fans have been through many ups and downs this season, with Carlos Corberan working wonders on the pitch but having to deal with many issues off it.
The manager has guided the Baggies to fifth place in the Championship table, with the Albion keen to clinch more points when they travel to Sunderland on Saturday (9 December).
They will, however, have to do it without Matt Phillips, with the player expected to be out for around four months with a hamstring injury, as per the official West Brom website (6 December).
It is a huge blow to Corberan, with the manager forced into replacing Phillips with John Swift at half-time against Leicester City last Saturday (2 December).
Swift can, however, now step up in Phillips’s absence, with the former keen to replicate his early season form, when he really lit up The Hawthorns.
The attacker missed plenty of action recently due to a calf strain, having banged in six goals before suffering the issue against Birmingham City in October.
Swift has yet to score from his three matches since returning from that injury, but he should now have an uninterrupted spell in the starting XI to do just that.
He may not have scored against the Foxes, but the attacker certainly impressed at The Hawthorns, where he completed his only dribble attempt (100%) and won his only aerial duel (100%), with the 28-year-old also registering an 81% passing accuracy [Sofascore].
So while Corberan and West Brom fans will be disappointed to lose Phillips for the long term, they should be hopeful that Swift can turn on the charm over the coming months.
In other West Brom news, one Albion man once left out in the cold is now undroppable under Corberan after his 90% display against league leaders Leicester.