Daryl Dike concern will be looming large for West Brom: View | OneFootball

With the news that Daryl Dike will be out of action until the end of the year after another nasty injury last month, West Bromwich Albion fans must be wondering if they are ever going to see the best of their American striker again.

The 23-year-old tore his left achilles tendon in the Baggies’ clash with Ipswich Town in February, just five matches into his return from another lengthy time on the sidelines.

The frontman only made his first start of the season in a 4-1 victory over Aldershot Town in the FA Cup third round in January, before cameo appearances against Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and Birmingham City.

The match with the Tractor Boys proved to be too far for the former Barnsley man though, with his body once again giving up on him and leaving him with a watching brief until 2025.

Daryl Dike injury history

Dike began to catch the eye of EFL followers during his stint at Oakwell in the latter stages of the 2020/21 season, following a loan spell from Orlando City in the MLS.

Four goals in the final six matches of the season for the Florida-based side caught the eye of then-Tykes boss Valerien Ismael who used him to great effect as the focal point of his side’s frontline.

The physical striker netted nine times in 19 appearances during his time in Yorkshire as Barnsley went on to reach the play-off semi-finals, before ultimately falling short to Swansea City.

After posting strong numbers again in the States, Dike was reunited with Ismael once the Frenchman had made the move to the Hawthorns - signing for a reported £7 million fee - but his second stint in England wasn’t to be as successful as his first.

The striker suffered a season-ending hamstring injury just weeks after joining the Baggies, with his first start against Peterborough United ultimately being his last of the campaign, as he didn’t feature again until the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

Even that proved to be another false dawn, with a calf injury sustained in training ruling him out until November, before he finally found his stride to net seven times in 25 appearances in the last campaign before more injury hell in April.

The beginning of his Achilles problems started with the trip to Stoke City in the latter part of last season, with the problem resurrecting last month meaning Baggies fans will have witnessed him playing just 52 minutes of league football in over 18 months by the time he returns.

Daryl Dike West Bromwich Albion contract information, weekly wage

Dike signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Hawthorns in 2022, meaning he will be a West Brom player until the summer of 2026.

The length of his contract could work either way for the Baggies in the future, with the duration giving the American the chance to regain fitness and fire in the goals for them once again, although with his injury record, it could be money thrown down the drain.

With another nine months or so on the sidelines, Albion will have to continue to pay his reported £32,308 weekly salary with no reward for their outlay, and no guarantee that Dike will be the same player upon his return to first team action.

After such a sizeable transfer fee forked out for the USA international, WBA are facing the reality of not getting any return for their striker when he leaves the club, meaning he has cost the side £1 million per league goal at this exact moment in time.