West Bromwich Albion are back in action this afternoon with a home clash against Hull City in the Championship as the Midlands club aim to get their first league win of the season.
The Baggies’ previous league outing saw them draw 0-0 against Cardiff City in midweek.
In terms of what Steve Bruce’s starting XI could look like, one man who has yet to make an appearance in the league this season and who we feel should be unleashed today is Taylor Gardner-Hickman.
Despite not making a league appearance so far this term, the 20-year-old did play the full 90 minutes of the Baggies’ 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup earlier this month.
During this game, the right-back managed to show just what he is capable of producing in an attacking and defensive sense.
From a defensive point of view, he made two clearances and four interceptions and won four tackles, not getting dribbled past on even one occasion and winning nine of his 11 duels, more than any other Baggies defender throughout the game.
In terms of his attacking output against the Blades that night, Gardner-Hickman made five key passes, created three big chances and successfully completed four of the five dribbles that he attempted.
This performance ultimately earned the 20-year-old an impressive match rating of 8.9 from SofaScore, making him the highest-rated player across both teams.
Bearing in mind how Darnell Furlong failed to make even one key pass or one successful dribble during the 0-0 draw against Cardiff, this could persuade Bruce to give Gardner-Hickman his first taste of league action in 2022/23 and take the 26-year-old out of the team today.
The Baggies boss has previously shared his admiration for the youngster, having described the 20-year-old as “terrific” since Bruce’s arrival at the club.
Taking all this into account, Gardner-Hickman certainly has what it takes to not only help his team avoid conceding goals with his defensive talent, but also terrify Hull with his evident attacking capabilities.
With that in mind and his presumed eagerness to get his first league start of the season and show Bruce why he should be a regular starter, the Albion boss should put the youngster into the starting XI for today’s clash against the Tigers.
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