Carlos Corberan praises West Brom youngster amid injury crisis

The Baggies head to Stoke today with Okay Yokuslu and Taylor Gardner-Hickman missing through injury and Jayson Molumby and Jake Livermore fitness doubts.

Nathaniel Chalobah is the only fully fit recognised senior central midfielder and head coach Carlos Corberan may have Andrews, 20, who spent the first half of the season on loan at National League Yeovil, in his starting thoughts today.

Corberan said: “Jamie has trained with us a lot of times, because for me he deserves to be training with the group.

“He has been competing for the B team, and also not just for the B team but in the National League. He had this experience, and he competed at the same level as Chesterfield, just below League Two.

“It was clear that he was competing (well) during the first half of the season, with the B team and with Yeovil, and after he played for us in the FA Cup after training with us because I considered that he is a young player, but he is a young player with potential who needs to keep growing and developing as a player.

“He is someone who I enjoy working with a lot, because he has showed me a very good mentality of work. That’s why he has been involved in the previous games. Depending on the players we have, depending on what I see, he is one possibility. I like to have a level in each position.

“Normally you have the first, the second, the third, the fourth. I like to work with three players for each position, that’s how mentally I like to go.

“Jamie has been the fourth one in this position, but sometimes the third and fourth arrive (to the team) like he did against Chesterfield. He made a very good game against an opponent which was different to the Championship.”

Andrews made his Albion debut in January’s 4-0 FA Cup replay over Chesterfield at The Hawthorns.

With injuries debilitating Albion ranks, Andrews has been part of the Championship matchday squad during the last two fixtures against Rotherham and QPR over Easter, where he was an unused substitute on both occasions.

The boyhood Baggie has been captain of Richard Beale’s under-21s and has overcome adversity in his youth career, including neurological damage to his spinal cord.

Andrews made eight appearances on loan at the Glovers in the fifth tier but was recalled by Corberan for the Spaniard to take a look at his qualities in close quarters. The head coach has handed Andrews and a handful of his under-21 team-mates the chance to train regularly with the senior squad.

He signed a first professional deal in 2021 and it is set to expire in the summer.