19-year-old attacker Cheikh Diaby is nearing closer to making his first start for West Brom despite joining the club nearly three months ago after a successful trial.
The Birmingham Mail report that the former Le Harve academy product is edging towards making his debut for West Brom, which will likely be at U-23 level for Deon Burton’s high-flying Albion side in Premier League 2.
The report states that Diaby was set to be fast-tracked in West Brom’s U-23 side after joining the club in October, however, the youngster has been forced to miss out on youth games due to a hitch surrounding the deal which prevented the teenage prospect from playing matches for the Albion’s development side.
La Liga giants and Champions League regulars Valencia were close to signing the young attacker as per the report, yet Slaven Bilic was impressed with what he saw from Diaby during his trial week at West Brom, ensuring his development continued with the Championship side.
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The Baggies have a great record of neutering talent from the youth academy into the first-team, with the likes of Nathan Ferguson, Kyle Edwards and Rekeem Harper all players actively involved in matchday squads as stats from Transfermarkt show, and this positive update could set Diaby on the same path as the aforementioned trio.
Bilic has made it an aim this season to continue the club’s proud tradition of promoting youth players into the first-team after excelling at academy level, and with Diaby already in the Croatian’s good books, the French attacker could be a player that might be fast-tracked into the senior squad if the teenager can hit the ground running after such a lengthy spell waiting for his chance to take to the pitch in Albion colours.
