Ryan Mason made to look ridiculous by Souleyman Mandey after West Brom U21s scenes
West Brom have a teenage talent in the form of Souleyman Mandey, who must surely be banging on Ryan Mason’s first-team door.
The pressure on Mason is mounting at West Brom, with Albion sitting 16th in the Championship table for Christmas.
Hull City defeated West Brom 1-0 in their most recent outing, on afternoon that left Mason feeling aggrieved over the referee’s decision to show Alfie Gilchrist a red card in the second half.
With West Brom now predicted to finish in the bottom half this season, Mason must find inspiration from somewhere if he is to turn the growing tide of discontent at The Hawthorns.
Ryan Mason should stop West Brom farce by looking to youth
On a handful of occasions this season, Mason has named two goalkeepers on his bench due to a lack of outfield options.
The 2-0 win over Sheffield United on 12 December was the most recent example of this, with Joe Wallis and Josh Griffiths both named as substitutes with Joe Wildsmith starting.
Aside from only covering the ridiculously unlikely scenario in which three goalkeepers would be needed to play over the course of a single game of football, it’s also blocking the pathway to first-team involvement for some of Albion’s talented youngsters coming through.
One of those is versatile central midfielder Mandey, who has been in fine form for the club’s Under-21 side in recent weeks.
The 19-year-old bagged another two goals on Monday, as West Brom’s Under-21s ran out 4-3 winners over Luton Town in the Premier League Cup.
Albion’s youngsters took an early lead in the game through Deago Nelson, but Luton levelled three minutes later.
Mandey then restored the Baggies’ lead soon after, scoring the first of his brace after rounding off a lovely attacking move.
West Brom had their goalkeeper sent off just before the break, though, and were quick to make their one-man advantage pay with an equaliser.
But, Mandey would produce an individual piece of brilliance to give Albion the lead once more, as he collected the ball on the left before weaving his way through Luton’s defence and slotting home from an acute angle.
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Ryan Mason could find midfield inspiration with Souleyman Mandey call-up
Mandey has drawn comparisons to Jude Bellingham, such is the regard he’s held in at West Brom.
The powerful and athletic teenager looks to have many of the intangibles needed to evolve into a top box-to-box midfield player in the future, and it only looks to be a matter of time before he outgrows academy football – in fact, he may already have.
With Alex Mowatt and Toby Collyer dealing with injury problems, the heart of Mason’s team appears to be in desperate need of an injection of energy and drive, and what better place to find those attributes than by turning to an outstanding young player.
- Mandey has eight goals in 18 games for West Brom’s academy side this season
- He’s now scored five goals in four Premier League Cup games
- Mandey signed for Albion from Rangers early into the 2023-24 season, and hails from Austria
Young players need to see that the pathway to first-team football is there for them, but if Mason continues to include three goalkeepers in his matchday squads, talents like Mandey may well escape from their grasp as they search for more fruitful opportunities elsewhere.
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