West Brom should ignore recent Mason Holgate comments, here is why | OneFootball

Mason Holgate’s recent comments about regular gametime should be ignored if West Brom are to achieve promotion this season.

West Brom are finally able to look forward now Tony Mowbray has been appointed Albion boss.

The 61-year-old returns for his second stint in the hotseat at The Hawthorns and will take charge of his first game against former employers Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening.

The former Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers coach inherits the Baggies in a promising position in the second tier table, with the Black Country outfit currently occupying a play-off place ahead of the next round of Championship fixtures.

Mowbray will be taking the short time he has before their clash at the Riverside Stadium to review the squad and nail down his best starting XI.

Loanee Mason Holgate completed 90 minutes in last weekend’s draw at Stoke City with Mowbray watching on from the stands, and the defender has expressed his ambition to keep his place in the side regularly, along with making his move to B71 a permanent one from Everton.

However, Albion shouldn’t be taking Holgate’s comments into consideration, as there are better defensive alternatives in the squad that give the club a bigger chance of gaining promotion back to the Premier League.

Mason Holgate outlines personal aims at West Brom

Speaking to Sportsboom, Mason Holgate reiterated his desire to play regularly for Albion between now and the end of the season and hopes he can extend his stay with the Baggies if promotion is secured back to the big time.

Reported by Sportsboom, Holgate said: “I’m on loan at West Brom until the end of the season, so I just want to play as much football as possible and put myself in the shop window.

“The last couple of years have been a bit tough for me personally. I’ve been injured a lot, I did (tore) my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) two years ago and didn’t play when I came back, so I went on loan last year."

Speaking specifically about Albion, Holgate added: “Hopefully I get an opportunity to stay here and go up (get promoted to the Premier League).

“That’s the ideal plan, but if not, then I just want to enjoy playing regular football, it’s especially tough when you’re not playing.

“That’s what it’s all about. I’ve not played a lot for a couple of seasons, so to be back out there playing regularly is obviously something I’m really enjoying. I want to keep doing that."

West Brom have better defensive options available to secure promotion

It remains to be seen whether Mason Holgate is in Tony Mowbray’s plans moving forward, but he certainly isn’t first choice at this moment in time.

The 28-year-old deputised for the injured Kyle Bartley in their draw with Stoke City over the weekend, partnering Torbjorn Heggem at the heart of the backline.

But the Baggies looked shaky playing in front of their new boss, defending poorly when Nathan Lowe netted the opening goal for the Potters, with the team clearly lacking the leadership and presence at both ends of the pitch that Bartley brings.

When fit, it seems inevitable the 33-year-old will slot back into the defence given his vast experience, and with Bartley and Heggem developing a steel-like partnership throughout this season, Holgate is the likely candidate to be axed.

Meanwhile, summer recruit Callum Styles has exceeded expectations since joining and covered almost every blade of grass on Saturday afternoon, while Darnell Furlong is very much the first choice right-back, so it’s hard to see how Holgate earns regular gametime.

With this back four likely to be what Mowbray elects for moving forward, the Doncaster-born defender will be left frustrated sitting on the sidelines and may have different thoughts over a full-time switch when the season draws to a close.

The likes of Bartley and Heggem possess much stronger attributes to deal with the physicality that second tier forward lines offer, and Albion must stick to this pair when both fit if they want to have the best possible chance of a top flight return.