West Brom boss outlines plan ahead for returning frontman
Boss Tony Mowbray admits he had to tell Daryl Dike to think about his future career prior to the striker's long-awaited return.
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Dike, 24, came back into the first-team fold following more than 12 months on the sidelines to play the final quarter of an hour in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Millwall.
A hamstring setback in October had delayed Dike's return from a second ruptured Achilles - a fourth major injury in three frustrating years at the club.
Mowbray revealed he told the powerful frontman he could not face throwing an eager Dike in too soon for fear of another breakdown - and added the United States international is likely to feature from the bench for the next few weeks.
"He's only 24 and he has to be careful, look after his career," Mowbray said. "I had to tell him how I'd feel if I chucked him in because we needed a big striker and he broke down. Thankfully he hasn't and he's OK.
"I think it will be off the subs bench maybe for a month or so and when he shows he can start a game rather than doing 20 or 30 minutes he can do 60. It'll be a bit slow but he's just a good option for us."
Mowbray handed a full debut to Tottenham loan striker Will Lankshear at Millwall on Saturday with fellow window loan striker Adam Armstrong switched to the left side before Dike's late introduction.
The head coach believes Dike's physicality can make a big difference for play-off chasing Albion. He added: "He'll bring physicality, he'll bring desire. If anything he's been too anxious to play in the first team since I've been here.
"I've been trying to calm him down, saying with respect it's about our first team winning matches and he has to contribute, not minutes to get his fitness levels. He understands that now, how my mind works.
"I saw him play for the under-21s, he put himself about, his sheer physicality creates problems for defenders. Apparently he's on seven per cent body fat but he's on 100kg, he's sheer muscle.
"In some games recently we've had lots of ball around the box, dominated, but I think the players haven't put the ball in the box enough because we haven't had enough physical presence in the box or seen anyone who is going to head one in or make defenders uncomfortable.
"We've had 65 per cent possession in games and not enough shots and I think that's because we've not put the ball in the box because there aren't enough targets to hit. He will become a central figure to aim at."
