Frabotta misses training, West Brom defence down to bare bones
Lewis Cox has confirmed Gianluca Frabotta has missed West Brom training ahead of the clash against Burnley on Thursday.
The 25-year-old has featured only four times off the bench for the Baggies this season since his signing from Juventus this summer.
However, his Albion career has been dealt a further setback as Cox reports via his X account [5 November] that the Italian is in doubt to feature at The Hawthorns against Burnley on 7 November.
He wrote: “Slight concern around Gianluca Frabotta ahead of Thurs night. Italian hasn’t trained today. Would leave #wba without any senior defensive cover for [the] bench.”
Carlos Corberan has a serious defensive crisis at West Brom
Frabotta’s tenure in the West Midlands has been shrouded in mystery, as the full-back has surprisingly struggled for minutes at West Brom despite his extensive experience in the Italian top flight.
The former Italy Under-21 international has featured more prominently for the Under-21 side at Albion with fellow summer signing Torbjorn Heggem thriving in the Championship as the undisputed option at left-back.
However, Baggies fans could be forgiven for believing they would finally see their Juventus acquisition in the famous blue and white to some degree given the extensive injury list in the defensive department.
Paddy McNair and Semi Ajayi became the latest casualties in the 0-0 draw against Cardiff City, joining Kyle Bartley on the treatment table at The Hawthorns.
Should Frabotta also miss out on Thursday, the backline named to start against Burnley will be the only defender among the matchday squad and, this could remain the case heading into a gruelling winter fixture schedule in the Championship.
Corberan will undoubtedly be forced to enter the January transfer market to bolster the defensive depth but, until then, the available defenders will have to perform for the Baggies to pull the side out of the rut with no wiggle room for rotation.
The signing of Frabotta appears a misfire for West Brom amid his injury adding to the already growing concerns, the supporters will surely be crossing their fingers the full-back recovers in time to make the matchday squad on Thursday.
In other West Brom news, Carlos Corberan sets Callum Styles challenge after what happened for the Baggies against Luton.
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