Carlos Corberan heaps big praise on exciting young West Brom duo
Albion fans may not have known an awful lot about teenager Fenton Heard before Sunday’s FA Cup win – but the youngster has been on Carlos Corberan’s radar for some time.
The 19-year-old from Great Barr, has been training with the club’s first team, alongside a handful of fellow academy graduates, for some time.
And on Sunday he was handed his senior debut from the start in the win over Aldershot – and shone from the off as Albion swept aside the National League outfit.
Heard played a hand in Nathaniel Chalobah’s opening goal – and his performance certainly caught the eyes of the Albion fanbase – but he had already impressed Albion’s first team boss months earlier.
Corberan explained: “He’s a player I wanted to see, to follow how much they are growing. Last year, we saw something in pre-season but this year he has grown a lot as a player, with a lot of maturity and game understanding. He has showed a lot of personality too, this is a challenge when you make your first start with the first team, and I was very pleased with how I saw him competing.
“For me, when the players have a game understanding and the quality to do what they think they can do, normally they play well. They understand the spaces, the understand the timing of the actions. They now when to drive, when to pass, they know when to drop and to receive, when the ball is under press, he has this game understanding.
“You don’t need to explain things to him and to explain these things tactically are difficult. Sometimes they can be difficult to take. For me, he showed exactly what he is on the pitch, and I liked to see this.”
Harry Whitwell, who was among five debutants and eleven academy graduates on Sunday’s squad, was another who caught Corberan’s eye.
On the 18-year-old, who penned a professional deal months into his scholarship, Corberan added: “I liked the minutes of Harry too. He was playing with determination and he gave an assist to the goal, but he was competing well in the game.
“It doesn’t mean I didn’t like the others as well, but if I had to tell you I think Fenton and Harry for me were using the opportunity very well and the others need to keep growing, keep working like any player in the academy.”
