West Bromwich Albion have been given a boost after learning that one of their first-team stars is available for today’s game vs Preston North End in the Championship.
What's the latest injury news at West Brom?
At the Hawthorns, Carlos Corberan is currently without the services of Josh Maja and Daryl Dike, both of who are yet to make any kind of significant progress with their own respective injuries, and they aren’t the only ones that have been sidelined for a longer period of time.
According to medical expert Dr Rajpal Brar, Adam Reach isn’t expected to return to training until at least November, with December being earmarked as the month that could possibly see him once again being introduced to the starting squad in the Midlands.
The Baggies, however, have received some good news on Erik Pieters, who was forced off the pitch with muscle tightness during the 0-0 draw against Millwall earlier this month which saw him miss a day’s training due to fatigue.
The Dutch left-back has been a key player for the boss so far this season having firmly established himself as the Spaniard's top-performing defensive player, so the following positive update regarding the 35-year-old’s fitness should bring a huge smile to the face of supporters at the Hawthorns.
Is Erik Pieters set to return for West Brom?
Taking to X on Friday, The Express and Star’s Lewis Cox confirmed that Pieters will be available for West Brom when they travel to Deepdale to take on Preston. He wrote:
“Morning! Semi Ajayi returns to training today and Albion will assess him after defender rolled an ankle late on against Millwall. Fellow defender Pieters fine for trip to unbeaten Preston after late withdrawal last week.”
How good is Erik Pieters?
According to reliable journalist Josh Bunting, Pieters is a “superb” defender and he’s certainly proved that following his strong start to the new campaign, therefore, it will come as a huge boost for Corberan to have him at his disposal for West Brom.
The Unique Sports Group client, who earns £15k-per-week, has made a total of 11 tackles so far this term which is the second-highest number throughout the squad with Conor Townsend being top on 12, via FBRef, alongside averaging 2.1 clearances per second-tier game, highlighting his desire to get stuck into challenges and win back possession for his team.
Sponsored by Nike, the left-footed ace is also a versatile operator having been deployed in five various positions over the pitch since first bursting onto the scene, including at wing-back and in the midfield on both the left and right flanks, as well as at centre-back, making him a fantastic option to have in the building.
Whilst Corberan does have Townsend as the other senior option available to him in the same position as Pieters, the fact that he’s started six out of the eight matches this season hints that the latter is his preferred choice, so he will be happy that his star is back to full fitness.