Paddy McNair gives Carlos Corberan new option after West Brom draw v Blackburn Rovers
West Brom have a solid stand-in for Kyle Bartley after Paddy McNair slotted seamlessly into the defence against Blackburn on Wednesday (23 October).
McNair was given his first start of the Championship season at Ewood Park, starting alongside Semi Ajayi at the back and keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 stalemate.
After Corberan confirmed that Bartley’s absence was down to managing a new issue for the 33-year-old [Lewis Cox, 24 October], there was little evidence of disruption in the backline with McNair there instead.
The 29-year-old is only on loan at The Hawthorns from new MLS club San Diego FC until January, but this gives Corberan the chance to rest Bartley when he sees fit in the coming weeks and months.
Paddy McNair provides shield for West Brom v Blackburn
Having made just one appearance so far this season – during the Albion’s torrid 2-1 defeat to Fleetwood Town in the EFL Cup first round – questions will have been asked of McNair’s sharpness before kick-off.
However, the Northern Ireland international certainly didn’t look out of place at Ewood Park, having 71 touches in total and managing a 92 per cent pass completion rate [FotMob].
The 29-year-old may have only found a man with one of his four attempted long balls (25 per cent), but did thread one pass into the final third and didn’t lose possession on a single occasion [FotMob].
At the back though, McNair was impenetrable, putting in seven defensive actions including a block, header clear, and interception apiece as well as three clearances and two ball recoveries.
Winning one duel from two attempts, McNair’s performance will have assuaged any concerns over the Baggies’ lack of cover behind Bartley and Semi Ajayi, and with Torbjorn Heggem making an international name for himself at left-back, McNair is the obvious choice should Corberan need to look to his bench.
In other West Brom news, Corberan is one of several names in the running to replace an under-pressure Premier League manager.
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