Fenton Heard grateful to 'football-mad' Carlos Corberan as West Brom youngster "explored options"

Attacking midfielder Heard, who turned 20 in October, saw his contract at The Hawthorns expire at the end of last season and Football League clubs were keeping tabs on his situation.

Corberan is a big admirer of the diminutive playmaker and handed him a senior debut in January in a home FA Cup tie against Aldershot of the National League, where Heard created one of his side's goals and impressed.

But Heard's future was in the air over the summer. With a one-year contract offer on the table the attacker explained to the Express & Star how he had kept his options open before he penned a deal of 12 months plus an extra year in the club's favour at the relatively later stage of July 10.

"Opportunities came about and I only signed a one-year contract, so I was exploring other options," Heard said.

"I wasn't definitely wanting to go, I was just exploring elsewhere."

Head coach Corberan was understanding of Heard's position and the Great Barr-born academy product was a key part of pre-season training and friendlies over the summer.

A grateful Heard added: "I expecting to come back in and just train with the under-21s, but the gaffer trusted me and he understood the situation, that I only signed a one-year contract and wanted to explore other options.

"Credit to him, because it could have gone the other way where he could have thought 'he doesn't want to play for West Brom anymore'. He was really good, I can't talk him up enough."

Heard is currently on loan at National League North Rushall Olympic, seen as a breakthrough spell as a first aside from a very brief half-dozen games with Hednesford in 2022/23.

Sadly, though, after a bright debut in the FA Cup defeat at League Two Accrington Stanley, Heard damaged his foot just a few minutes into a second appearance, in front of onlooking Baggies loan manager Chris Brunt, who helped set up the initial one-month loan.

The loan expires at the end of the month so it remains to be seen if Heard will turn out for the Pics again.

Heard, who also played in August's EFL Cup defeat to Fleetwood, will look forward to the next stage of his plan and hopes it involves catching the eye of Corberan, who he described as "the one you want" in charge.

"He's different! He's mad. He's football-mad," Heard said. "There is no-one else you want as your gaffer. He is on it - on the ball 24/7.

"He is the bloke that you want as your manager because he's going to improve you.

"I told my dad after the Aldershot game that Carlos spoke to me five minutes before the game in his office. I sat there and I was like 'wow, wow'. He was telling me all this information.

"People say that he is football-mad but he is on the ball 24/7, he doesn't let you breathe in training, he's down your throat with everything but, like I said, that is the person you want."