It might have been a disappointing defeat for West Brom come the end of the full-time whistle against Millwall, but Grady Diangana was able to leave a promising impact on his debut.
The 21-year-old winger made his first start for the Championship side after reuniting with former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic at West Brom on loan for the season, and Diangana was one of the few bright spots during an ultimately poor night for his new club.
The England youth international assisted West Brom’s only goal as Diangana’s swerving effort from distance was saved onto the crossbar by Millwall’s Luke Steele, allowing fellow new signing Charlie Austin to nod the ball into the net to give the hosts the lead.
Although Bilic’s side were unable to hold on, there was enough in Diangana’s debut to give both West Brom and West Ham fans something to celebrate, and following from a season where midfielder Josh Cullen flourished on loan with Charlton, there is reason to believe that the Hammers winger could be the next youngster to excel away from the London Stadium.
Indeed, an impressive performance against a Championship side could encourage Bilic enough to start Diangana in upcoming games against the likes of Luton Town and Reading, and having worked with the youngster during their brief time together at West Ham, the Croatian boss is likely to be eager to continue the winger’s development.
Diangana showed last season to be a player who could go on to feature heavily for the West Ham first-team in the future based on his 21 appearances under Manuel Pellegrini as numbers from Transfermarkt show, and with West Brom, the right-sided winger can continue his impressive development with one of the most talented teams in the Championship with manager who is familiar with how to manage the youngster.
