Oliver Burke was inspired as West Bromwich Albion won their latest under-23 clash.
West Brom falling into the Championship should have been the making of Oliver Burke’s Hawthorns career after a lacklustre first year with the Baggies.
Burke showed glimpses of his quality following his £15 million move last summer – fee reported by BBC Sport – but form and fitness appeared to let him down for much of the campaign. He probably was not shown enough faith by his managers either.
Unfortunately, life in the second tier has not improved the Scotland winger’s prospects too much. He has not appeared in the Championship since the opening day and has not made the matchday squad in the league since the draw with Birmingham in mid-September.
And it is going to be a difficult task to force his way back into Darren Moore’s plans with the Baggies proving to be one of the most lethal teams in the division, with a front three of Harvey Barnes, Jay Rodriguez and Dwight Gayle scoring 16 goals between them already.
But after his performance in the under-23 win over Stoke City on Monday night, perhaps Burke has done enough to be considered for a place in Moore’s squad for the first-team clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday.
Burke scored a brilliantly-taken goal and provided an assist in the 3-2 win. It was a well-timed reminder of his quality, and should convince Moore to promote him to the bench for the game against the Owls.
Not many sides in the Championship have the ability to put a £15 million player on their bench, but West Brom can by bringing Burke back into the fold this week.
And while the fans are still awaiting the regular glimpses that show why the club spent so much on him, it would be no surprise if the winger does prove to be a key player as the season goes on if he is given a chance in the West Brom first-team.
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