Reliable journalist Lewis Cox has dropped a concerning injury update regarding an "excellent" West Brom player, ahead of their final-day clash with Preston North End this weekend.
West Brom look to seal playoff spot
It has been a positive season for the Baggies, who went into the campaign with high hopes of earning promotion from the Championship back to the Premier League.
Admittedly, Carlos Corberan's side haven't secured automatic promotion, which is something the fans would have hoped for, but a playoff place now looks on the cards.
West Brom haven't got over the finish line yet, however, and on Saturday lunchtime, they face a crucial final game of the season at home to Preston. Corberan's men sit sixth in the Championship and two points clear of Hull City below them, so they know that victory this weekend will ensure that their season is extended, ahead of what is hopefully a triumphant day at Wembley later this month.
In fact, a draw should also be enough for the Baggies, given their superior goal difference, but a win for Hull at struggling Plymouth Argyle, coupled with defeat for West Brom, would seal a disastrous final day at the Hawthorns.
Worrying West Brom injury update
Taking to X ahead of the game, Cox admitted that Brandon Thomas-Asante is a doubt for West Brom's clash with Preston on Saturday, due to a hamstring issue: "Thomas-Asante been nursing hamstring discomfort, too, but optimism there."
In his report for The Express & Star, Cox also shared Corberan's comments on Thomas-Asante, with the Baggies manager saying: "Asante couldn’t start the week well. Before the previous game, he was still feeling something in his hamstring. With the minutes he was playing, he still felt something. It’s not muscle, it’s nerve, but he didn’t train the first day of this week. Right now, he’s training normally with the group."
Not having Thomas-Asante available for such an important game would be an undoubted blow for West Brom, considering the overall impact he has made this season. The 25-year-old has scored 11 times in the Championship, appearing in 38 of his side's 45 matches in the competition, also registering two assists.
Corberan is clearly an admirer of his attacking ace, too, saying of him after the 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers earlier in the season: "Excellent, not only for the goals but the way he was linking the play and how he was helping the team build attacks. The most important thing with Brandon is his mentality and his physical condition to play and always be ready to help the team."
The hope is that Thomas-Asante is at least fit enough for the substitutes' bench this weekend, but either way, West Brom have to back themselves to have enough quality to overcome a Preston side with little to play for.
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It would then be a case of getting the attacker fully fit again for the playoffs, as the Baggies look to return to the Premier League after three seasons away.
