West Brom: Carlos Corberan shares Kyle Bartley injury update after draw v QPR
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan has confirmed that Kyle Bartley was due to start Albion’s clash with QPR, but missed out with a calf injury.
The Baggies picked up a valuable point at Loftus Road on Wednesday (6 March) as they drew 2-2 with Marti Cifuentes’ side thanks to first-half goals from Mikey Johnston and Grady Diangana.
Corberan opted to start Erik Pieters and Cedric Kipre at centre-back against QPR but confirmed Bartley was in line to feature before his injury. The 32-year-old is set to undergo a scan on Thursday (7 March) but it doesn’t appear to be a serious knock.
As quoted by the Express and Star on Thursday (7 March) he said: “It is an injury, yesterday he felt something, we were thinking of him to start the game because we knew that the set-pieces was an important aspect, especially without Townsend, who is a player that helps us a lot in set-piece situations.
“We knew today to have size in the set pieces would be an important aspect but unfortunately he was feeling the feeling in the same muscle, the calf. It doesn’t look like a serious injury but he couldn’t be involved.
“The doctors told me he wouldn’t be ready today and probably tomorrow they will scan him and see how he reacts, it’s a pain but doesn’t look like a serious injury, unfortunately, he wasn’t ready to compete.”
Why did Kyle Bartley not play for West Brom against QPR?
It will be a huge blow to the Baggies’ playoff and promotion hopes if Bartley is ruled out for a considerable length of time, hopefully, Corberan’s prediction will be correct and the 32-year-old will be back sooner rather than later.
In his absence, Pieters and Kipre have impressed in recent weeks. Still, both players had slightly shaky nights against QPR and Kipre’s display in particular had a few controversial moments including what appeared to be a blatant handball on the goalline.
Bartley offers West Brom a presence from set-pieces, both defensively and in attack, that few other players in Corberan’s side can, especially with Connor Townsend also stuck on the treatment table currently with a new injury.
The Baggies have an extra day of recovery before their showdown with Huddersfield Town on Sunday (10 March). Hopefully, Corberan will be able to provide a clearer update on Bartley’s situation in the coming days.
In other West Brom news, Johnston has made a new admission about his move from Celtic and his time under Brendan Rodgers
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