Football League World
·31 October 2024
Football League World
·31 October 2024
West Brom boss Carlos Corberan has shared injury updates on Semi Ajayi, Paddy McNair, Kyle Bartley and Daryl Dike.
West Brom will be without Semi Ajayi for four months, whilst Paddy McNair may have played his last game for the club as the duo picked up hamstring injuries in the draw with Cardiff City.
The Baggies are six without a win despite sitting in the play-off places, and it appears the draw against the Bluebirds came at a cost, with McNair forced off just minutes into the game.
Then, with ten minutes to go, Ajayi was replaced, and the club had been waiting for scans on the pair to discover the full extent of their injuries.
And, it’s not good news for Albion, as boss Carlos Corberan told the club’s media that the duo are set for months on the sidelines, whilst he also provided updates on Kyle Bartley and Daryl Dike, who are also facing spells out.
“We’re looking at around eight weeks out for Paddy McNair owing to a hamstring injury. Semi, unfortunately, has suffered a more difficult injury. It was an action which was an accident. In this action, he has broken his muscle in two parts.
“The best way to manage this injury is with surgery because surgery helps reduce the risk of suffering this type of injury again. Returning in about 16 weeks is the approximate time when you have this type of surgery.
“Kyle Bartley has had an injury and he has had minor surgery this week. It’s a different type of surgery. It’s a more positive one because it cleans the problem that he had in his knee. We have been very positive with this but the time from surgery to recovery is around four to six weeks.
“Elsewhere, when Daryl suffered his original injury we hoped he’d be back before Christmas. The new muscle injury will now mean he will return after Christmas.”
With McNair’s loan from American outfit San Diego finishing at the end of December, it seems likely that the ex-Middlesbrough man has played his last game for the club.
Firstly, you have huge sympathy for the players involved, particularly Dike given his history, as no professional wants to be out injured, and they are now going to be watching on.
Obviously, this is giving Corberan a major problem defensively, as Ajayi and Bartley had been first-choice, and they were a key reason for Albion having such a good defensive record.
Losing the Nigerian international for four months is a massive blow, and whilst Bartley could return in a month, he will still be missed.
To compound things, McNair would’ve played with injuries to those two, but he is now out as well, so it’s a really difficult position for Albion to be in.
They do have Mason Holgate as backup, which is now looking like a shrewd late signing in the window, and Torbjorn Heggem can move across from left-back, but he had been very good at full-back. So, it will be interesting to see how the side copes over the next few weeks.
West Brom’s success has been down to their defensive quality, and even though Corberan will no doubt have the side well-drilled, this could be problematic as they try to keep pace in the promotion race.
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