West Brom v Ipswich Town: Harry Whitwell ruled out as update emerges from Portman Road
West Brom have not been able to name Harry Whitwell in their matchday squad for their clash with Ipswich Town because of illness, according to Lewis Cox.
The Express and Star journalist reported via X on Saturday (10 February) that the 18-year-old midfielder who impressed from the bench against Aldershot Town was unable to be named as a substitute for Saturday’s clash through illness.
Instead, academy defender Reece Hall was named on the bench as an extra defensive option for Carlos Corberan’s side at Portman Road alongside experienced senior players like Daryl Dike, John Swift and Nathaniel Chalobah.
Writing on X (10 February) Cox said: “WBA subs: Griffiths, Pieters, Pipa, Hall, Chalobah, Swift, Johnston, Dike, Marshall. Right-sided defender Reece Hall on bench.
“Caught eye for u21s recently. Believe Harry Whitwell has some illness.”
Carlos Corberan has a strong bench at West Brom
It has perhaps been forgotten in recent weeks just how many strong options Corberan currently has at his disposal at West Brom, with a couple of impressive January additions adding to that quality for the remainder of the season.
While the likes of Whitwell and Hall are needed to occasionally bolster the ranks and make up the numbers on the bench, the Albion boss is able to call upon the likes of Dike and Swift to impact games from the bench which is a luxury.
Hopefully, with the free-agent addition of Yann M’Vila also on the horizon, the Baggies’ squad should only get stronger week after week as more and more stars return to the fold from the treatment table before the end of the season.
It is a shame for Whitwell that he isn’t able to make the bench at Portman Road, but his cameo display in the FA Cup showed that he will likely feature a lot more in a West Brom shirt in the future.
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