Dara O'Shea backed by team-mate to become West Brom legend

Defender O'Shea, who turned 24 this month, is one of only two outfield players to feature in every minute across the Championship this season. The other is Blues' Auston Trusty.

Regular and consistent displays have taken O'Shea beyond the 100-appearance mark for the club he joined aged 16 in 2015.

Another highlight of O'Shea's 2022/23 campaign is he has spent most of the season as Baggies captain, standing in for the unused Jake Livermore.

Wallace, in his first season at The Hawthorns, has been impressed. He said: "Dara has really grown into the role of captain and I think you forget how young he is. He’s only 24 and a top, top player.

"To play every minute of a season in the Championship is not easy and he’s done that. He’s definitely someone I look up to."

Winger Wallace reckons O'Shea is capable of racking up the appearances to go down in Albion folklore.

"We’ve got some great young lads here at the club and they’re all well thought of in the dressing room and it’s important that you have a young group of players that the fans can relate to," he said.

"They’ll be the future of the club. Look at Dara. He’s probably got another 12 or 13 years of professional football ahead of him. In my opinion, he could go down as a club legend."

Wallace, meanwhile, one of Albion's key players this season, has admitted his preference remains playing as a winger despite a more mixed role of late.

He played the majority of the first half of the campaign on the right flank, as has come to be expected, but head coach Carlos Corberan has utilised the former Wolves man centrally at times, in a deeper No.10 role, or alongside a centre-forward.

"I was a midfielder in my early days actually," explained Wallace, 28. "When I signed at Portsmouth, it’s rare that you see someone so young in the middle of the park because there’s probably a bit too much responsibility, so I got shoved on the wing because I had a bit of pace.

"I haven’t looked back since then really. The last couple of years I’ve played much more inside of the pitch, but I think I’m at my best when I’m out on the wing and I love to get in behind people and I know I can rely on my delivery. It’s a big part of my game and a part I enjoy.

"That one against one when you know you’re up against a left-back for 90 minutes and you’ve got to try and out-work them, out-run them and keep them guessing about what you’re going to do, that’s a part of the game I do enjoy.

"Saying that, I’m always happy just to be on the pitch and I’ll play wherever the manager wants me to."