Oliver Burke Closing in On West Brom First Team Berth After International Success

Scotland's Under-21 star Oliver Burke has been impressing on international duty, scoring a goal and captaining the side to a 2-0 victory over Latvia, but he has yet to start a game for West Bromwich Albion.

That might be about to change, as assistant head coach Ben Garner has revealed that the summer signing from RB Leipzig is being watched closely ahead of a possible introduction to Premier League football at the Baggies.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages

"We're looking forward to getting Oliver in with some minutes under his belt and bringing him that much closer to selection," Garner told the Express and Star.

"He's a hugely talented player who has shown his potential at Nottingham Forest and has experience of playing in Germany. He gives us something different which we will definitely need at stages throughout the season. He can prove he's a capable Premier League player."

Burke might have been involved already had it not been for a hamstring injury which kept him out until an hour's runout in the Checkatrade Trophy for the West Brom Under-21s last week.

The midfielder will be in tough competition for a spot in the Baggies first team, with the likes of stalwarts Chris Brunt and James McClean, the latter having scored the winner for Republic of Ireland to earn them a place in the World Cup 2018 playoff draw, also in contention.