West Brom fans all say the same thing after Daryl Dike update
Daryl Dike’s road back to the West Brom first team has been a lengthy and gruelling one, but the striker has just taken his biggest step yet.
Named in the Albion Under-21s squad to face Newcastle United on Monday, Dike and fellow injured first-teamer Semi Ajayi were back on the grass for the first time in 2025, as both continue their recoveries.
Dike hasn’t featured for the Baggies since back in March 2024 following a season-ending Achilles injury, which came just months after a lengthy period on the sidelines after rupturing his other Achilles.
The USA international had looked close to a comeback last Autumn, but yet another setback delayed his return in the form of a hamstring injury, pushing his first-team reintegration back several months again.
However, having featured for half an hour of the Baggies’ U21s Premier League 2 match against Newcastle, there is hope that Dike is finally on the mend and ready to take the leap back to the top.
West Brom fans react to Daryl Dike news
The outpouring of relief and happiness from the Albion faithful towards Dike after his return has been vast, with Hawthorns regulars and US fans of the striker all chiming in from both sides of the Atlantic.
One fan commented that Dike is “so loved” in the US and is “deserving of needing a break” more than most players, adding that the 24-year-old certainly looked “lean and fit” in his half-hour cameo.
That sentiment was shared by an Albion fan page, which posted to state that Dike looked “lighter on his feet” and “slimmer” than he had before suffering that lengthy Achilles injury.
Support from fellow fans of the Baggies and the USMNT continued, with Dike called “such a lovely lad” and a player who “deserves a bit of luck”, with both wishing him well for the rest of the season.
One fan commented to state that seeing Dike back on the pitch in Baggies colours was “a beautiful sight to see”, with another Albion supporter adding that the striker is “due a fairytale” after all his setbacks.
Further support followed with a view to soon seeing Dike and Ajayi back in first-team contention; one fan saying such a prospect was “heartening”, as another added: “the Daryl Dike revenge tour starts here.”
Daryl Dike faces difficult road back into West Brom first team
Dike is certainly a player Albion fans will want to see back fit and firing at The Hawthorns as soon as possible, but the strength of strikers Tony Mowbray now has to pick from provides a difficult path.
Prior to the winter transfer window, the Baggies were desperately short of out-and-out centre-forward options, exacerbated further by top scorer Josh Maja picking up an injury he’s still yet to recover from.
Having experimented with Karlan Grant, Jed Wallace and Grady Diangana in makeshift roles up front, Mowbray’s hand has been strengthened significantly in the form of three brand-new additions.
Spurs loanee Will Lankshear, ex-Randers forward Tammer Bany and promotion-winning Southampton striker Adam Armstrong – who netted on his debut – have significantly bolstered the frontline since.
Dike’s return to first-team action will be managed acutely by Mowbray and the Baggies’ medical team, but with Maja and an array of new strikers to get past, any meaningful minutes still look a long way off.