Carlos Corberan hands unique praise to West Brom midfielder

Mowatt, 29, has been one of the Baggies’ most consistent performers this term and Corberan admitted his “love” for the team’s passing and pressing maestro, who the head coach described as a “warrior” with a “British football mentality.”

Corberan hopes the former Leeds and Barnsley man can continue to show more of his best as Albion tackle the in-form Rs at Loftus Road this evening.

Mowatt caught the eye in last Friday’s 2-1 victory over Coventry and it was later confirmed his passing accuracy was up at 97 per cent.

Mowatt and defender Cedric Kipre, both sent on loan last season, have been Albion’s stand-out duo this term. Both also see their contracts at The Hawthorns expire this summer.

“He is a player that I love, I like him a lot,” Corberan said of the midfielder. “We were following him in the last year and in the beginning against Middlesbrough he was not playing and then after he started to play.

“For me he is a player that, if you want to have the ball and attack with the ball, he’s a player that helps you a lot to do this.

“I know the other day he made a lot of pass accuracy but it was not even the best game I saw of him, I saw him in even better games.”

Albion’s head coach continued: “I think he has the character of the British players – let’s say the British football mentality, that is a warrior, a competitor, when he goes to the games, he goes to compete in the game and you know he is going to put in his best.

“You know that all the time you are going to watch his best, because that is his mentality. That’s why he was captain in Barnsley.

“I think you can only be captain of the club when you are someone who competes a lot in what you do, he was captain in the play-offs.

“He is a player that his level of commitment with the club and team is always the highest.”

Corberan has indicated his desire to keep Mowatt and Kipre at the club beyond the summer and said talks will take place between now and the end of the season but an agreement is something that requires work.

Albion have just been taken over by US businessman Shilen Patel, who will attend tonight’s clash and hold talks with Corberan in the coming 24 hours. The head coach has not planned an agenda but the likelihood is future plans for the summer and beyond will be discussed.

Tonight’s visitors head to west London without injured vice-captain Conor Townsend, who will miss the clash and Sunday’s trip to Huddersfield with a hamstring injury. Corberan has Adam Reach, Erik Pieters or Pipa to deputise. Striker Brandon Thomas-Asante (hamstring) has an outside chance of returning for Sunday.

There is expected to be a first matchday squad involvement for free agent midfielder recruit Yann M’Vila, who has worked his way up to fitness.

Loftus Road was Corberan’s first away clash – and away win – in charge of Albion, a 1-0 success via Kyle Bartley’s header.

The hosts have changed since. Boss Mick Beale departed and Neil Critchley and Gareth Ainsworth have since failed to turn around the club’s fortunes.

Spaniard Marti Cifuentes, who previously managed in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, was appointed in October. He enjoyed an inspired start, given what went before, of just one defeat in seven games before a turbulent Christmas period of six defeats from seven.

But a January recovery has been staged following a home defeat to Valerien Ismael’s Watford, in which ex-Albion man Jake Livermore netted twice. The Rs have since lost just once in eight games, including five wins and three on the bounce, the latest of which a 2-1 success at Leicester on Saturday.

Corberan explained: “QPR is a team with some similarities with West Bromwich in the last year, in terms of that they’ve a good squad and they’re not playing at the level of the squad.

“With the coaching they’ve improved the momentum too. We’re playing against a squad who have, in the last six games, have won four, they’ve lost only one and they’ve won three games in a row. What helps us to prepare is the fact that they’ve beaten Leicester away.

“You need to have good things to win there, because Leicester is the best team so far in the Championship. To win there means having a style, identity and a competitive squad.”