Corberan issues hamstring worry over Brandon Thomas-Asante ahead of West Brom v Preston
West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan has revealed that Brandon Thomas-Asante has been struggling with a hamstring injury ahead of the crunch Championship clash with Preston North End on 4 May.
The striker did not start in the 3-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on 27 April despite being available for selection after returning from a one-match ban and Corberan explained that his fitness was behind that decision.
While the issue affected Thomas-Asante’s ability to train early in the week, the Baggies boss shared that his striker was back with the group in an encouraging update.
Speaking ahead of the game, Corberan is quoted by Birmingham Live (2 May) as saying: “When you have a long week, not always the players are going to guarantee the same number of training sessions.
“Asante couldn’t start the week well. Before the previous game, he was still feeling something in his hamstring. With the minutes he was playing, he still felt something. It’s not muscle, it’s nerve, but he didn’t train the first day of this week. Right now, he’s training normally with the group.
“On the last day, he wasn’t ready to start, but I was thinking that [Jed] Wallace was the one who had to play at the front [against Sheffield Wednesday] because he was excellent against Leicester.
“[Matt] Phillips is another player that we have been managing this season. Let’s see how he arrives on Friday, in the conditions or not. The other players have been training normally.”
West Brom need Brandon Thomas-Asante back
West Brom find themselves on the brink of securing a top-six finish and a place in the playoffs – but defeat at The Hawthorns against Preston would open the door for a disastrous set of circumstances, with Hull City then able to leapfrog them into sixth on the final day of the regular Championship season.
In truth, the Baggies will feel they should have mathematically secured their playoff place some time ago. But a run of three consecutive defeats against Sunderland, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday have left them needing at least a point in their final match to ensure they stay in the top six.
Thomas-Asante would go some way towards helping the side achieve the result they need.
The 25-year-old is the Baggies’ top scorer this season, netting 11 Championship goals in 2,656 minutes across 38 appearances [Transfermarkt].
With him leading the line, West Brom are a far more threatening outfit and they will hope to put Preston – who have nothing to play for and have lost each of their last four league games in a row against Norwich City, Southampton, QPR and Leicester City – to the sword.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are likely to sign a young Everton prospect.
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