Opinion: West Brom should pursue loan move for absent Sheffield United player due to Daryl Dike’s injury | OneFootball

Daryl Dike could miss up to the next 11 games due to a hamstring injury leaving West Bromwich Albion a little light upfront due to losing their headline investment.

The Athletic confirmed that Valerien Ismael will be looking to source another striker in the loan market in the final six days of the transfer window.

With Bournemouth faltering in recent weeks, the second automatic promotion spot is looking more and more up for grabs, which make the disappointing news of this afternoon, all the more frustrating for Baggies supporters.

Replacing Dike with a loan signing late on in the window will be very difficult, and especially so as Ismael will be desperate for someone with Championship experience putting them in a better position to hit the ground running.

There are a lot of clubs in the second tier with deep squads, particularly sides who have recently come down from the Premier League, and in that the Baggies should be looking at Sheffield United and their depth of attacking reinforcements.

Ollie McBurnie is back in training after taking a long time to recover from coronavirus and could have the expertise to compliment the West Brom forward line.

With Rhian Brewster, Lys Mousset, David McGoldrick and Billy Sharp all in contention for a starting berth at Bramall Lane, McBurnie has a difficult task to push himself back in to earn regular minutes.

That would not be the case at West Bromwich Albion, where the Scotsman could provide a short term solution and try his hand in the demanding role of a lone striker in Ismael’s direct system.

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Sheffield United spent a lot of money to bring in McBurnie from Swansea City in the summer of 2019, and in looking to protect their asset they should be ensuring he sees regular first team opportunities in the second half of the season.

The 25-year-old enters the final year of his contract next season and if the club look to offload him in the summer, there is a chance that his market value could increase substantially if he embarks on a successful loan spell in the coming months.

Currently West Brom are not a direct rival for the Blades and McBurnie’s skillset could see him adjust very quickly at The Hawthorns.