Carlos Corberán described Daryl Dike’s return to senior action on Sunday as a “very important” step in the right direction.
The American forward completed the first 45 minutes of Albion’s 4-1 victory at The Hawthorns against Aldershot Town in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup, scoring the third goal of the afternoon.
Dike delivered a passionate and emotive reaction to his powerful strike from close range, with his team-mates quick to crowd round and celebrate with him in front of the Brummie Road end.
It was his first involvement in a first-team fixture for 268 days and Corberán says he was really pleased to watch the 23-year-old produce a positive performance.
The celebrations says it all... 🥹@DarylDike | @EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/bXNTgmcpmR
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) January 8, 2024
“The way he celebrated the goal he scored said a lot about how much he was suffering when he wasn’t fit and had a long-term injury,” said Carlos.
“It was really important for him to play those minutes on Sunday.
“For me, it was a very important step. The fact he scored a goal will clearly give him a lot of confidence.
“In general though, I was watching him grow into the game with the passing of the minutes. I was watching him in the way that I wanted to see him play.
“We were all really happy for Daryl. The coaching staff, the players and the all of the supporters.
“We are going to help him with his next steps, but on Sunday, he took a positive step forward.”
