West Brom manager Slaven Bilic has revealed that centre back Ahmed Hegazi missed his side’s Carabao Cup win over Harrogate on Wednesday night with a hamstring injury.
The Egyptian was absent from the matchday squad as Bilic made ten changes from the side that lost to Leicester in the league on Sunday, – a game in which Hegazi was an unused substitute – with only Dara O’Shea remaining in the centre of defence, where he partnered debutant Cedric Kipre.
It seems however, as though it was supposed to be Hegazi featuring alongside summer signing Kipre against the League Two side at The Hawthorns.
Speaking about Hegazi’s absence after the game, Bilic told The Birmingham Mail: “Hegazi was on the bench on Sunday.
“He came in on Monday, the guys who didn’t play against Leicester had training. He did his hamstring in training, that’s the reason why he wasn’t involved [against Harrogate].”
Discussing the extent of Hegazi’s injury, Bilic appears hopeful that it will not be long before the 29-year-old is available again, with the Baggies boss adding: “Hamstrings…Monday or even yesterday they didn’t know how big it is. It shouldn’t be big, he didn’t do it in a sprint or anything like that. Hopefully it’s a smaller one.
“That’s the reason why Ahmed wasn’t on the pitch tonight, basically.”
This will be frustrating for Hegazi, and probably West Brom as well.
Having sat out the weekend’s Premier League game, this ought to have been an opportunity for Hegazi to get back to first-team football, and give Bilic a reminder of just what he can do as he looks to force his way back to being a regular starter.
Unfortunately for him, that is something he was unable to do due to that injury, and you feel Bilic would have wanted him to get some game time as well, to get Hegazi up to match sharpness, just in case he does have to call upon the centre back in the Premier League at some point in the near future.
Although with another cup tie at home to Brentford next week, there may still be a chance for Hegazi to do that sooner rather than later.
