Carlos Corberan highlights other West Brom forward options after striker injury blow

Thomas-Asante, who is Albion’s leading scorer on 11, is set to miss at least two weeks - but his absence could stretch to five weeks.

Albion are also without fellow attacking pair Daryl Dike and Josh Maja due to injury - leaving January signing Andreas Weimann as the likeliest alternative to lead the line.

Weimann has made a positive start - scoring twice in five league appearances since his arrival from Bristol City. Yet with a tight fixture schedule on the horizon, Corberan understands his squad will need to be flexible and the Spaniard is confident he has the options to adapt.

He explained: “If we are talking about the strikers then we still have possibilities in terms of the players who can play there.

“Andi (Weimann) was playing there the other day as a number nine, (Jed) Wallace was playing there for the last minutes of the game and (Callum) Marshall was playing in the game before against Southampton from the bench.

“Let’s say that these are the three main options that we have to give an alternative. We still have attacking options that can start the game or have an impact from the bench.”

Corberan was pleased to see three different goal scorers in the 3-0 win over Plymouth Argyle in midweek.

Tom Fellows has been a revelation during his breakthrough campaign at the Hawthorns, but Mikey Johnston has also made an immediate impression since landing on loan from Celtic.

Johnston scored 36 seconds into his first league start and produced a stunning solo goal from the bench in Albion’s triumph in Devon.

Corberan has been a long-time admirer of the winger, who he first spotted whilst playing alongside Albion midfielder Jayson Molumby for Republic of Ireland.

“When we bring him, it’s because we think that he was one player that according to all the possibilities on the market was a perfect solution,” Corberan revealed.

“He is a really interesting player. I remember when I was watching one of Molumby’s games for the national team. He appeared and I liked him.

“Then when my club mentioned his name, I knew him because of when I watched him play in the national games with Molumby.”

Corberan also explained why his loan spell at Vitoria Guimaraes in the Portuguese top-flight played a defining role in Albion bringing him on board.

“The fact that he had a previous loan in Portugal. It speaks very well about him because he’s a player that he knows that it’s normal to have more of the ball when you play in Celtic,” he noted.

“Celtic is a very big team, especially in the domestic league. It means that they are very dominant and this team from Portugal gives him something totally different. The fact that he had to attack but the fact that he had to defend and in a low block too.

“Normally when you play in a big club, you don’t need these type of experiences. The fact that he was having these experiences in Portugal, for me, it helped to improve his versatility and adaptation to different structures.

“I consider that he is a very good player that I was looking forward to working with him.”