Carlos Corberan confident in new approach West Brom coach can bring

Former Manchester United academy and Bradford City coach Drury is a long-term contact of Corberan’s and the Baggies boss has been keen for the duo to work together for some time.

Drury has been appointed first-team assistant coach at The Hawthorns. He fills a role in the backroom staff vacated by Michael Hefele after the German departed this summer to move to Al-Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

Corberan sees Drury, 38, as a coach that can offer specific support to players relative to what their playing positions require. The Spaniard admitted Albion looked into introducing these methods last season, he said it is a style used heavily by Villa and is also based on an individualistic approach used by his former mentor at Leeds Marcelo Bielsa.

“He has been working in the academy at Manchester United working on exactly the same job he will here,” Corberan explained.

“It is something we started to implement last year, working in every part of the individual resources that players need to have to cover.

“There are more clubs doing this job, for example I know Aston Villa (are doing it) with a lot of detail. Every position needs to have specific behaviours, depending on the position, to dominate. Bielsa worked very individually too. These are things I had in my mind from a long time ago. We want to keep insisting we develop some individual behaviours.”

Uefa A licence coach Drury had been working with the next generation of Old Trafford talent since the summer of 2022. Prior to that he held several roles at League Two Bradford City, including first team coach. They met through mutual friend and contact Danny Schofield, who went on to manage Huddersfield.

Drury will work closely with Corberan’s other lieutenants, fellow first-team assistant coach Jorge Alarcon and statistical analyst Damia Abella.

“We started to talk about football,” Corberan said of the relationship. “He was making an external collaboration with me, analysing teams and behaviours.

“In the second and third year the same, we have been in a constant contact. We didn’t have the possibility to work together yet, because when I had the possibility he was employed, but sometimes in life these opportunities arrive.

“The opportunity appeared now after Hef left in the summer. He was the one I decided to bring to the staff to develop ideas I can only develop with him, because we have developed ideas before when collaborating together. I know perfectly what I want when I bring him here.”