DARYL’S OUT BUT CARROLL NETS A CHANCE
VALERIEN Ismael insists West Brom have to deal with the “painful” loss of injured forward Daryl Dike.
The 21-year-old United States international picked up a hamstring injury during his first start for the club last weekend and is set to be out for around eight weeks.
Dike, signed earlier this month from Orlando City, limped off in the 53rd minute of the 3-0 win against Peterborough at The Hawthorns.
“I spoke with the doctor and unfortunately it’s a really bad muscle injury, so he will miss eight weeks,” said Ismael.
“It’s a bad hit for us because he was our transfer target No.1 and we saw in short spells how good it is to have him. It’s painful for me, for us, for the players, for the club and for the fans.
“But it is what it is. The things you can’t influence in football are injuries and Covid-19. You have to deal with it.
“We need to stay focused on the next game, because with or without Dike we need to win. It doesn’t change anything about our task.
“It’s clear you want to play with your best and strongest team, and now without Dike we have one player less.
“But we still have very good players in the squad to help us win games.”
Ismael, meanwhile, has brought in Andy Carroll, 33, as a short-term replacement for Dike.
Ismael said: “Andy is a player who is able to help us straight away.
“He is ready and brings with him all the attributes we need. It could be a win-win situation for us.
“The fact Andy has played plenty of games for Reading recently is great. He’s fit after playing those games and he’s scored goals during that short-term deal. Hopefully Andy can now score goals for us.”