West Brom's Daryl Dike: Carlos Corberan's key role in my return

Seven-goal striker Dike has managed a useful return of seven goals in 19 appearances, of which 13 were starts, since making his full comeback from the best part of 12 months suffering with two lengthy muscle injuries.

The £7million recruit from Orlando City in his homeland has put muscle and thigh setbacks behind him and an impressive goals return since – in helping the Baggies to the Championship's top half and into play-off contention – caught the eye of the United States international set-up and a first call since the successful Gold Cup campaign in 2021.

Dike is expected in action in the early hours of Saturday morning with the USMNT in the Caribbean to face Grenada in CONCACAF Nations League qualifying.

Valerien Ismael, who oversaw Dike's prolific spell on loan at Barnsley in the Championship, brought the striker to The Hawthorns but by the time Dike overcame a second serious injury, suffered in training last August, Ismael's replacement Steve Bruce had also been sacked.

Carlos Corberan is the man tasked with helping the 22-year-old rediscover top form and the frontman has delivered with five match-winning goals, an effort in the 3-2 comeback at Luton and the fine finish in Cardiff before Albion were pegged back last time out.

The Baggies head coach explained how Dike needed to be managed physically through training and matches. He was often rotated with Brandon Thomas-Asante before an injury to the latter required Dike to complete three 90 minutes in a row, something that previously had been doubtful.

Dike, though, believes it is tactically and technically he has progressed under the Spaniard.

“Carlos has been great, you can see everything throughout the squad and how people are playing individually," Dike said.

“I think he’s someone who has helped me tactically and becoming a more complete player.

"Looking at me I think everyone sees the physical side, but I think he is someone who has gotten me to work more on the tactical side and the technical side of the game. He keeps pushing me every game and I think as a young player it’s important to have someone like that in my career."

Dike can add to his eight caps and three goals for United States against Grenada and El Salvador, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando, his former home.

He added: "I’m not going to take it for granted. You always want to be the striker, you always want to come in and play whenever you have the chance.

"You always want to be part of the squad, help the guys and be a part of every camp. For me throughout that time (being injured) it was fuel to get to where I am today. It’s another opportunity for me to show what I can do.

“I think I have changed a lot because I had a lot of adversity at the beginning part of my career.

"I think things were going smoothly but you’re always going to have a little blip and for me it was about finding myself off the pitch. I like to do what will relax me and what will make me happy and throughout the past two years I have started to grow at that which I think will help on the field as well.”