A common theme of Carlos Corberan’s West Brom tenure has been injuries, and he has another key concern to contend with.
Corberan has been with West Brom for 13 months now.
In that time he’s had to deal with numerous set-backs, be that off the pitch or on it, with those setbacks on the pitch largely coming in the form of injuries.
Daryl Dike is now coming to the end of his second major injury since joining the club at the start of last year, whilst the likes of Adam Reach and Martin Kelly are yet to feature this season, and then all of Alex Palmer, John Swift, Josh Maja, and Grady Diangana have had varying spells on the sidelines in 2023.
Now though, Corberan has another key injury concern, with Matt Phillips looking set for a spell out.
Matt Phillips set for spell on sidelines
Phillips was forced off just before the break in the 2-1 defeat vs Leicester City last time out, with Corberan saying after the game:
“I think it’s a hamstring injury and when there is a hamstring injury it’s never a short injury.”
Corberan went on to rule Phillips out for at least a couple of weeks, and in an attacking department full of quality, but not so much depth, it could give the Baggies boss a slight selection headache going into a congested festive period.
Tom Fellows’ time to shine for West Brom
Jeremy Sarmiento could be eyeing up an extended run in the XI after starting the last two, and scoring the winning goal in the 1-0 victory vs Cardiff City at the end of last month.
But youngster Tom Fellows may also be gunning for a starting berth after making an impression in the last few weeks.
He’s now made eight appearances in the Championship this season but is yet to make his first start this season.
The 20-year-old Baggies academy graduate has looked good coming off the bench in recent weeks; he’s clearly a livewire who can have an impact late in games, using his pace to unsettle opposition full-backs, and Corberan may well view him as a potential long-term heir to Phillips.
Corberan recently spoke out on Fellows’ recent run in the side too, labelling his performances as ‘excellent’.
Phillips has become a key player under Corberan but he’s not getting any younger. Injuries continue to hamper him and Corberan may well be thinking about who will eventually.
Whilst Sarmiento is a good option for the here and now, he’s only on loan, and Corberan will surely be keen to give Fellows some game time so that next season and beyond, he can play more of an involved role in the first-team.
As ever with youngsters, his development needs to be managed, and in the case of West Brom particularly, the club needs to avoid selling him on before he has a chance to make his name in the first-team.
And Phillips’ injury gives Fellows the chance to do just that.