The former West Brom frontman out to dent England World Cup hopes - as Manchester United legend makes 'devastated' admission

Brandon Thomas-Asante is one of Ghana’s stars looking to put a dent in England World Cup dreams on Tuesday night.

England-born Thomas-Asante was one of the Black Stars’ heroes on Thursday, as the substitute’s excellent run created a dramatic stoppage-time winner for Caleb Yirenkyi against Panama.

It remains to be seen whether it was enough for former Albion ace Thomas-Asante to earn a start for his nation against the country of his birth in Boston in the second group L clash.

What is for sure is the 27-year-old’s career has gone from strength to strength since he departed The Hawthorns in 2024.

Thomas-Asante, who hails from Milton Keynes, scored 21 times in 78 games for the Baggies in two seasons from 2022 to 2024 after he checked in for a modest fee understood to be £300,000 from League Two Salford City.

His departure for Championship rivals Coventry was not far off 10-times that fee as Albion banked in excess of £2million for his services during a time where player sales was a necessity due to crippling finances. Thomas-Asante was sold within days of Okay Yokuslu and Conor Townsend.

The striker has netted 18 times in 76 games for Coventry, who stormed to the Championship title under Frank Lampard last term. Thomas-Asante appeared in 32 league games, 21 as a starter, and scored 13 times.

He will be a top flight footballer this season and it has been some rise from the fourth tier to the first - via a World Cup - in four years for the striker once released by MK Dons as a teenager.

Thomas-Asante’s success has come as no shock to former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville, the pundit who is co-owner at Salford. The pair have remained close and Neville revealed his joy for the striker’s successful cameo in Ghana’s opening match.

"The Ghana fans went mad - Brandon set it up ... I love Brandon, he deserves it,” Neville said on Sky’s Overlap ‘Stick to Football’ podcast.

"We were just about to set up our B-team and we had trials. I always remember I went down - I didn't watch the trials as I don't pick players or anything - but Chris Casper was there with Warren Joyce.

"Warren Joyce was taking over our B-team and said 'you've got to sign that lad now'.”

Neville’s former Old Trafford colleague Steve Bruce was in charge at The Hawthorns upon Thomas-Asante’s arrival. Bruce’s son-in-law Matt Smith played alongside the striker at Salford.

He added: "The year that we sold him, I remember going on holiday to Greece in August and we'd started the season and he scored five or six in eight games, he was on fire. He was ripping it up. He'd come back from pre-season a different player.

"He had a buyout clause in his contract of a few hundred grand and Brucie rang me up on holiday and said he wanted to do the buyout clause. I was happy for him but I was devastated.

"If we'd have kept him I think we'd have gone up that year.”

Experienced Ghanian Jordan Ayew led the line from the off against Panama as the African nation look to spring a surprise against Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions.