Tom Rogic making West Brom progress, but has to prove himself

Australia international and former Celtic favourite Rogic, 29, was snapped up as a high-profile free agent addition in September after Steve Bruce and Albion had missed out on other midfield targets.

The attack-minded midfielder opted to leave Celtic and did not have a full pre-season with a club, meaning he arrived in the Black Country behind on fitness, which he has since been building up.

Rogic has so far started just once for his new club, which came in his debut appearance in a topsy-turvy 3-2 home defeat against Swansea on October 1. He has made four further appearances from the bench, the latest against Blackpool on Tuesday, but his Hawthorns career is yet to take off.

“Rogic is one player who maybe needs a little bit of time to adapt, but I am watching and he is making the right steps in the right direction,” head coach Corberan said of Rogic.

“That’s the challenge he has, and it’s the challenge we have with every single player – to get to the best level that they can have.

“For me in football the past doesn’t exist. The only thing that exists is the present and we need to be focused, ready and determined to win this moment right now and to give our best.”

Rogic played more than 250 games for Celtic where he was a successful attacking force. He and John Swift are Albion’s creators-in-chief from midfield and could be vying to feature in similar roles as the campaign progresses.

Corberan has already lined up his Albion side 3-4-3 and 4-2-3-1 in his two games in charge. He was fluent with his systems while in charge at Huddersfield and admits he admires versatility.

“I try to evaluate all of our players, to decide who I think can help us more as a team,” continued Corberan, who takes his Albion side to face Queens Park Rangers today. “At the same time we analyse the opponent to see what they do, to see if we can find the right solutions for the game.

“I like to work with versatility. Sometimes, you need to be able to change. To do the same... every opponent is different. To do something different, you’ll need someone different. You need to be able to adapt too.

“These are the decisions I make and after I evaluate the group of players, who is working in the best conditions, how they are competing. I put all of the players in the same level of evaluation.”

Albion striker Daryl Dike, meanwhile, is in contention to make his return from injury at Queens Park Rangers with Karlan Grant set for a spell on the sidelines.

Dike, 22, has missed the best part of three months with a thigh tear sustained on the eve of just the second match of the season in early August.

His comeback, prior to the World Cup break which begins after the Saturday week fixture against Stoke, is timely due to a setback for fellow striker Grant, who is out for action for up to a month with the ankle injury he picked up in the Blackpool win on Tuesday night.

Corberan hinted that Monday night’s home under-21s fixture against Nottingham Forest could prove an ideal opportunity to hand Dike, defender Semi Ajayi (ankle) or Kean Bryan (ACL) match minutes.