Tag: West Brom

Daryl Dike stretchered off after Achilles injury with West Brom

If it weren’t for bad luck…

Daryl Dike just can’t buy a prolonged run of good health.

The U.S. men’s national team striker went down with a non-contact injury late in the first half of West Brom’s 2-1 win at Stoke City on Saturday.

While there has not yet been an official diagnosis, manager Carlos Corberán says that the issue is with Dike’s Achilles tendon, indicating that the club expects the recovery to be seen in terms of months rather than weeks.

Reporters at the Bet365 Stadium said that the lengthy treatment for Dike included oxygen before he was carried off on a stretcher in the 11th minute of first half stoppage time.

In quotes published by the Express & Star, Corberán confirmed suspicions of an Achilles tendon injury, but said the club won’t know how severe it is until he undergoes further examination.

“It looks like an Achilles injury and they never really are good,” said the Spanish coach. “Achilles injuries are never easy to manage but still, we need to assess… we need to see how much damage appears and depending on this, we will know the months.”

Per BBC Radio, Corberán would go on to dedicate the win to Dike.

Dike’s miserable luck

Since joining West Brom in January 2022, Dike has suffered multiple significant injuries. After just two appearances for the club, a hamstring strain effectively ended his first season at The Hawthorns.

Coming through the summer with a clean bill of health, he played in WBA’s season opener on July 30, but then tore a thigh muscle in training.

Dike would not recover in time to contend for a spot on the U.S. men’s national team at the World Cup. In the end, that second injury cost him 18 league matches and two Carabao Cup games with West Brom as well.

He made his comeback with a last-second cameo against Stoke City on November 12, and since than has appeared in all but one match for the Baggies (an FA Cup replay in January against Chesterfield). Over that time, he produced seven goals and an assist, starting 14 times for Corberán.

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As he makes USMNT return, Dike also ready for Orlando homecoming

The ex-Orlando City star will have a homecoming on Monday night

As Daryl Dike re-enters the fold for the United States men’s national team this week, so too does the 22-year-old striker return to the city where he started his promising pro career.

Dike figures to draw a warm reception in Orlando on Monday night as the U.S. faces El Salvador in a CONCACAF Nations League match. Selected by Orlando City with the fifth pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, Dike departed the club nearly 15 months ago in a $9.5 million transfer to West Bromwich Albion.

“I haven’t been at Exploria (Stadium) since I left to go overseas,” Dike said in a video conference with reporters earlier this week. “I know it’s a great place. I love the stadium, the fans and the city. Being able to come back and play in front of everyone is something that is so important to me. I’m obviously super excited.”

Dike helped Orlando qualify for the MLS playoffs in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, netting 19 goals with four assists in 41 appearances for the club. In between, he shined during a 2021 loan spell at Barnsley, boosting the English side’s stunning but ultimately unsuccessful hopes for Premier League promotion.

Injuries, however, dogged Dike for the better part of the last 10 months. Hamstring and thigh problems forced the 6-foot-1, 220-pound center forward to miss 31 games for West Brom, totaling 150 days on the sidelines.

Those absences made Dike an afterthought as Gregg Berhalter selected his World Cup squad. He instead picked Jesús Ferreira, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright and rotated the trio in the No. 9 position.

“In terms of the opportunity, of course, I’m not going to take it for granted,” Dike said. “You always want to be the striker. You always want to come and play whenever you have a chance. You always want to be a part of the squad. You always want to be able to help guys and get called up to every camp.

“For me, throughout that time, it was obviously fuel to help me get back to where I am today.”

Part of the USMNT’s victorious 2021 Gold Cup squad, and with three goals in nine caps in his international career so far, Dike put himself back on the U.S. radar with a strong recent run of form for West Brom.

He’s been fit for each of the Baggies’ last 18 matches, going the full 90 minutes on five occasions. Dike scored and assisted in his second game back from injury, a 2-1 second-half rally past Sunderland.

In total, Dike has made 12 starts and produced seven goals with one assist — equating to 0.7 goal contributions per 90 minutes, per FBref.

“What he’s doing right now is so commendable. It’s so fun to watch,” SiriusXM analyst and former USMNT forward Eric Wynalda told MLSSoccer.com in January. “That diving header (against Reading on Jan. 2), to me, that’s just a striker’s goal. It’s a guy with a knack of where to be at the right time — can’t teach that. You can only screw it up, to be honest.”

West Brom are firmly in the Championship promotion race, sitting in ninth place at the international break. The Baggies sit five points behind Millwall for the final playoff spot with a game in hand.

Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

Dike credits manager Carlos Corberán, hired in late October when the club was languishing in the relegation zone, with refining the tactical and technical aspects of his game.

“He keeps pushing me every single game,” Dike said. “He’s someone I love working under and, especially this young in my career, it’s important to have someone like that who is going to be a good stepping stone for the next games and the next part in your career.”

Dike rejoins the U.S. setup at a time of transition. Caretaker manager Anthony Hudson is in charge with Berhalter’s fate still undetermined following the federation’s investigation of a 1992 domestic violence incident with his wife, Rosalind. Additionally, there has been upheaval in the forward ranks: Ricardo Pepi has earned a recall after a productive spell at Groningen while the shadow of Folarin Balogun has loomed large over this camp.

“Coming into this camp, it’s just another opportunity for me to go and show what I can do, to help,” Dike said. “That’s all I have been looking forward to.”

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Daryl Dike is having some laundry issues

“Before I continue, yes, I know I’m an idiot”

Daryl Dike’s clothes have probably been smelling a bit strange since he arrived in England. On Friday he found out why and thankfully, he shared the answer with the entire internet.

The West Brom striker, currently sidelined with an injury, posted a video on his TikTok account that started with a frank admission: “Before I continue, yes, I know I’m an idiot!”

OK, intriguing. Go on!

It turns out that Dike “kind of thought that my washing machine was just crap” — that is, until he discovered the real reason his laundry experience in England hadn’t been going exactly as planned.

Dike recounts: “I come back home to my apartment and I look down at the bag I have … this is what I’ve been using! I have been washing my clothes with dishwasher soap since I’ve been here! I have lived in England for eight months! I’m an idiot! How do I even do that?”

Thankfully, West Brom’s social media admin quickly went to the store to purchase the correct detergent, with defender Taylor Gardner-Hickman completing the delivery to Dike in the dressing room.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I was actually on my way to go get some,” Dike responded.

And he wasn’t lying! Dike posted on Instagram shortly after that he had indeed found the correct product to ensure his clothes don’t smell like clean plates and silverware.

Dike’s next wash is going to smell absolutely incredible to him.

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Daryl Dike’s World Cup hopes are all but over after latest injury setback

A thigh muscle tear will sideline Dike “at least a couple months”

Daryl Dike is set to miss at least two months with a thigh muscle tear, which appears likely to spell the end of his World Cup hopes.

The West Brom striker suffered the injury in training last week, with his manager Steve Bruce saying earlier this week that the 22-year-old was “devastated” after his latest setback.

On Thursday, Bruce confirmed at a press conference that the U.S. national team forward is now set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Bruce said: “The scan results have confirmed our fears that he’s got a tear to his thigh muscle. Last time it was his hamstring. We’re devastated for him and for the whole lot of us. I don’t want to put a timescale on it, because that’d be unfair.

“It’s substantial, it’ll be weeks, at least a couple of months. He’s got to stay mentally strong the kid, because he’s had an awful time and the way he’s worked and the way he got himself into the condition he’s in, it’s really disappointing for him and everybody.

“He’s kicked a ball. It’s so innocuous that it’s scary. He’s tried to score a goal. It might even have been just a tap in, last minute of training session. It’s frustrating for everybody.”

Dike’s World Cup dream fading

Dike made just two appearances for West Brom after joining from Orlando City in January, suffering two separate injury setbacks.

The forward was hoping to get in the mix for a World Cup spot by staying healthy and finding goalscoring form in the new season, but instead played just one game before his latest injury.

Dike has not played for the USMNT since July 2021. An optimistic timetable for this latest injury would see Dike back in mid-October, meaning he would have only a couple weeks to regain his fitness and form in time to impress U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter.

For a player who at that point wouldn’t have been in the USMNT picture for well over a year, and wouldn’t have had an injury-free run for nearly a year, it would be a herculean task.

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