Roy Keane gushes over West Brom star Brandon Thomas-Asante during showdown v Wolves
Roy Keane gushed over West Brom striker Brandon Thomas-Asante prior to the Baggies’ FA Cup showdown with fierce rivals Wolves, heaping praise on the forward for his step up the EFL.
Albion headed into the break 1-0 down to their black country rivals on Sunday (28 January) with the away side having the majority of possession and Carlos Corberan’s side fashioning the better of the chances in a close affair.
Thomas-Asante saw an early header well saved by Jose Sa in the Wolves’ net but was a livewire at the top end of the pitch in the first half, and his performances this season saw him earn plenty of respect from Keane on the ITV coverage.
Speaking on ITV before kick-off (28 January, 11:21) he said: “It was a big step up for him to come to West Brom, coming up two leagues from League Two but he’s done really well. It’s a sign of a very good player, very sharp.
“The question was always going to be was he that natural goal scorer, but he’s doing really well in terms of putting the ball in the back of the net. If they’re going to get a result today, he’ll have to be at his very best.
“Very sharp, you look at people like Dawson, trying to round the back of them, he’s a nice personality. I like the look of him.”
Such a presence
It’s safe to say that a number of West Brom fans weren’t convinced by Thomas-Asante at the start of the season or even in the opening weeks of the campaign, but the Baggies striker has managed to really find his feet at The Hawthorns this term.
The 25-year-old has been relied upon a lot this season because of Daryl Dike’s injury problems, but he has managed to stand up and deliver when needed, with nine Championship goals already this term.
His performance in the first half against Wolves wasn’t perfect and he would have liked to have caused the away side’s stopper a few more problems with his early header, but once again, he was the focal point of most of Albion’s attacks.
Hopefully, he can help inspire a second-half comeback after Neto’s late opener sent Corberan’s side into the break behind.
In other West Brom news, Lewis Cox has mooted a potential new “sacrifice” in the January transfer window at The Hawthorns
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