Carlos Corberan hails top professionalism of West Brom’s Matt Phillips

Experienced winger Phillips, 32, has been one of his side’s stand-out performers in the early part of the Championship season.

He has played in three very different roles – winger, centre-forward and wing-back – in Albion’s first three games and Corberan flagged Phillips’ quality and attitude as an ‘example to all’.

The head coach said: “When you have a player like Phillips in your squad, it means a lot. It is not only his level of commitment, but it’s his quality that he has. I think that last year after we lost him we suffered, because he leads by example, he plays with a lot of maturity and he plays with a level of versatility that helps the squad a lot.

“He is a player who is key to have at the club and in the squad, because his level of commitment is the maximum he can have and the level of qualities in attack are very good qualities too.”

Long-serving Phillips, a Scotland international, saw last season cruelly ended early in January after a serious muscle injury in a Hawthorns FA Cup replay against non-league Chesterfield.

Corberan goes along with the views of supporters that the winger’s absence hindered Albion in their push for the play-offs last term. But Phillips worked hard during the close season to be right for his side’s pre-season friendlies.

The head coach added that the decision for Phillips to undergo surgery with his injured quad was crucial in his recovery.

Corberan added: “It’s an example for everyone because first of all, in football, nobody gives you a career for free.

“There is a reason for this and the reason is he is the first one to arrive and the first one to start, he is close to us and is always the latest player to finish and leave the training ground – it doesn’t mean the other players aren’t professional enough because he isn’t doing the same!

“But he knows his age, he needs to take care of everything he can take care of and for me his level has been massive for us right now.”

Corberan said of the versatile former Blackpool and QPR star: “Two things for me – the fact he was injured affected us a lot last year.

“The fact he made a decision to have surgery with the injury was positive, to allow us to work with him in better conditions, which is the difference we have suffered with Reach, with the same injury, the consequence being different.

“But I think he has come back with the same desire as when he was 18 years old, that is what I see in him and I enjoy a lot to work with players like this, that have experience but, with experience and knowledge of football, they have the passion and desire of young players.

“When you mix these two things – you have examples here in Leeds, players like Pablo Hernandez, who came here with all his knowledge and with desire, you enjoy working with good players who have the desire and passion when they were younger.”