Some West Brom fans have praised the form of left-back Conor Townsend on social media, with one fan claiming that the left-back has “improved dramatically” of late.
Townsend has enjoyed an extended run in the West Brom squad in recent weeks, as a hamstring injury has kept regular first-team left-back Kieran Gibbs out of action. Gibbs was forced off the pitch due to injury in the Baggies’ game versus Leeds United on New Year’s Day after just 18 minutes.
However, Townsend has delivered some impressive performances during his stint in the first team in place of Gibbs in recent weeks. The left-back notably scored the only goal in the Baggies’ 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round win versus Premier League West Ham on 25th January.
Should Conor Townsend continue to start at left-back once Kieran Gibbs is fit?YES, TOWNSEND HAS BEEN BETTER THAN GIBBS THIS SEASON
NO, GIBBS IS STILL A BETTER PLAYER THAN TOWNSEND
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The 26-year-old also earned Whoscored.com’s Man of the Match award for his efforts in West Brom’s recent 2-0 Championship win versus Luton Town. Townsend’s recent performances haven’t gone unnoticed by the Baggies faithful. Read the appreciative messages of some West Brom fans for Townsend’s current run of form in the tweets below.
An appreciation post for @conortownsend93 who I think recently has been outstanding, I think @CallumRobinson7 has helped him out in the past few weeks on the left hand side and his game has improved 10 fold, let's hope it continues ????? #wba pic.twitter.com/wsLRI4txXB
— Luke Rowland (@LukeRowland015) February 17, 2020
Playing really well ?
— Dawn (@Dawn_Baggies) February 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/michaelsheahan1/status/1229480086765744131
He has improved dramatically since having a run in the side. Gibbs is class but Conor hasn’t let us down at all.
— mark tyler (@mark_mtyler) February 17, 2020
https://twitter.com/wba18781/status/1229511525494382597
I thought he was our second best player on Saturday after krovinovic he was absolute quality
— Oli Swaby ? (@OliverSwaby68) February 18, 2020
https://twitter.com/addhoult/status/1229510107291103232
Had my doubts about him , but he’s won me over , a run in the team has really helped him , Gibbs will have a job to get his shirt back
— Paul Doherty (@PaulDoh88239513) February 17, 2020
What do we think?
Townsend’s recent performances may create something of a selection dilemma for Slaven Bilic upon Gibbs’ return to fitness. Townsend has now featured in 17 of the Baggies’ 33 Championship games this season. Meanwhile, the injured Gibbs has managed to play in just 10 of West Brom’s league matches.
In addition to that, the 26-year-old’s recent performances have helped him earn an average rating of 6.76 on Whoscored.com for the 2019/20 Championship season so far. This rating is slightly higher than the 6.74 average rating given to 30-year-old Gibbs this season by the website. Should Townsend continue to perform well in Gibbs’ absence, he may make a strong argument to retain his spot at left-back.