'Exceptional' West Brom captain Dara O'Shea backed to return to the top

The Baggies will be without this season's stand-in captain for the rest of the campaign after O'Shea injured his knee playing against France for the republic of Ireland.

The 24-year-old has already played Premier League football for Albion and had previously not missed a minute of Championship football all season. Corberan hailed a same level of commitment to training and predicted a top-level future for the Albion academy graduate.

"For me he has been exceptional, I cannot have more positive words for a player than the words I have for him," Corberan said of O'Shea, who returned from Ireland duty injured with Jayson Molumby.

"Not only in the games – he's one player that never ever missed any training, he is one guy with a level of ambition that his character will help him make an amazing career, with no doubts.

"He competes always with one level, one exceptional level since I arrived at the club in every single game.

"This is not easy to do in the football world, sometimes when you play many games in a row you can lose the concentration or the desire, or fatigue can maybe beat the level of motivation and energy.

"But in any case this has not happened with him, he has a level of desire to play, improve, to listen and be a better player and that's why I know he will play in the highest level of football. He has done, and he will again."

O'Shea has already surpassed 100 Albion appearances and team-mate Jed Wallace said recently the stopper has the potential to become a Hawthorns legend.

The Dubliner came from St Kevin's Boys in his homeland to England in 2015 and quickly rise through Albion youth ranks. He has worn the captain's armband for Jake Livermore for much of this campaign.

He struck up an unlikely partnership with experienced full-back Erik Pieters in 2023 and, speaking before learning of his colleague's injury, Dutchman Pieters waxed lyrical of 'crazy' O'Shea.

"I love the guy," Pieters smiled. "It's nice, he's a crazy guy. I don't know how he fits his sprint distances in. I think we have a really good connection, him with his energy, he's still so young it's unbelievable.

"We adjust really well to each other, we have lots of communication on the pitch but also off it to make sure everything it pitch perfect.

"We know that we are both part of the group that squeezes up and keeps the group together. It's starts at the back with us.

"To have me and DOS playing there together, we just have to make sure we are spot on. If we are spot on, it helps the team to attack more, keep the ball more. I love playing together with him."