Daryl Dike returns to the sidelines after suffering fresh thigh injury

Daryl Dike is set to return to the sidelines after suffering a fresh injury during training with West Bromwich Albion. 

The player missed West Brom’s 1-1 league draw with Watford on Monday, as team officials confirmed a thigh injury kept him off the roster. Manager Steve Bruce added the USMNT forward will now miss at least two months as he undergoes rehabilitation. 

“The scan results have confirmed our fears that he’s got a tear to his thigh muscle,” Bruce said in his pre-match press conference Thursday. “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 added. “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.”

The striker originally joined West Brom in January from Orlando City, after two seasons in Major League Soccer. But during his time with the Eastern Conference team, Dike also saw a loan stint with then-Championship side Barnsely, where he managed nine goals in 22 appearances. 

He was all set to take off with West Brom when arriving, exhibiting potential during his first two appearances against QPR and Peterborough United before a hamstring injury forced him to miss the final four months of the season.

He’s back to watching from afar as the team fights for promotion to the Premier League.