Brandon Thomas-Asante says he’s trying to “soak up” as much of the information passed onto him by boss Carlos Corberán ahead of the 2023/24 Sky Bet Championship term.
The Baggies striker completed the first 45 minutes of the club’s 2-2 draw with Burton Albion in pre-season on Saturday afternoon, a game which saw defender Erik Pieters and winger Matt Phillips find the net for the visitors.
Thomas-Asante is in the middle of his first pre-season at The Hawthorns having arrived from League Two side Salford City at the end of the summer transfer window last year.
And the striker insists the increased responsibility on his shoulders heading into the campaign is something he relishes and is excited by.
Brandon said: “That game has provided us with more valuable minutes under our belts.
“We’ve got a squad of players who I’m sure the manager will want to be able to use throughout the campaign, including the young players, so it’s good for everyone.
“We’re getting closer to the start of the season and everyone wants to get closer to that flow of being in a competitive environment.
“It was certainly another beneficial afternoon for us.
“We’re getting closer and closer to the first game of the season and we’re all trying to get to where the manager wants us to be physically, technically and tactically.
“We’ve still got a couple of weeks to go and there’s lots more information we can take on as players, so I’m excited to see what the new few weeks bring.
“I’m happy with how pre-season has been treating me and how I’ve done so far.
“I’ve been applying myself physically and I’ve also been trying to soak up everything the manager is telling me.
“There’s obviously a degree of increased responsibility for me at the moment in terms of the attackers available with Karlan Grant leaving on loan and Daryl Dike still being out injured.
“I feel like there is a lot more responsibility on my shoulders and that’s something I’m excited about and looking forward to.
“There have been a lot of attackers here throughout the years who have excited the fans and taken the club higher, and I want to be one of those on that list.”
