Ryan Mason drops Daryl Dike, West Brom hint ahead of Bristol City clash | OneFootball

Ryan Mason has hinted at further minutes for striker Daryl Dike.

West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason has hinted at further minutes for Daryl Dike in the near future - but he has been told to work harder than ever to be given his chance.

The striker has endured a torrid time at The Hawthorns, suffering two ruptured Achilles injuries since joining the club in 2022, spending well over two years on the sidelines.

The United States' current contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, and Baggies boss Mason insists that this is irrelevant, and that the plan is to carry on "building" Dike up to be available throughout the packed festive period.

Ryan Mason speaks on Daryl Dike's future - "We're building him up"

Albion are preparing to welcome Bristol City to The Hawthorns on Boxing Day, and Mason told BBC WM Express & Star that his players are "fighting for everything" regarding their futures.

"Regardless if players have got three years left on their deal or six months left, every day and every time they're in this building representing this club, there's a certain level of expectation they should be hitting," said Mason.

"That's the demand for all of the players, regardless of contractual situations.

Joining the club from Orlando City in 2022, Dike has not been able to really get going in a West Brom shirt. And with his current deal set to expire in the summer, his future at the club is on the line.

"I know Dike hasn't had a lot of minutes this season, but he's also not had a lot of minutes in the last four seasons since he's been at the club. We're building him up to be available," added Mason.

The 25-year-old has accumulated just 15 minutes across five Championship appearances this term. However, in the three and a half seasons prior, he was unable to reach anything close to the 1,202 minutes racked up in the 2022/23 campaign.

Mason also highlighted the fact that Dike is having to compete with one of the Championship's leading marksmen in recent weeks, with Aune Heggebo having shone up top for the Baggies.

"He's competing with someone at the moment that scored seven goals in eight matches. So there's that side of it as well, which is good. That's what you need for a club like this," Mason added.

"There needs to be competition. There needs to be people being pushed and pushing each other to drive performance."

With Josh Maja also struggling to get going up top for the Baggies following his return from injury, the chance could be there for Dike to take if he were to get back up to speed.

Though the word 'if' is huge, with Dike never quite able to get up to full fitness throughout his time at The Hawthorns.

Daryl Dike has endured a torrid time at West Brom - he is fighting for his future

Dike made his move to the Black Country in January 2022, after impressive stints with Barnsley and MLS outfit Orlando City.

As Barnsley surged to the Championship play-offs in the 2020/21 campaign, Dike would lead the charge, netting nine times under Valerien Ismael. His towering presence and ability to cause mayhem in and around the box earned him a strong reputation in English football.

His loan spell with the Tykes would end at the end of that season, before he returned to parent club Orlando. He would bag 10 MLS goals by the end of the season, with the Lions' play-off campaign coming to an end at the first hurdle against Nashville.

With the MLS calendar running from March to December, Dike would move back to England in January 2022, with the Baggies securing his signature for £7 million.

Since then, injuries have held him back massively, with the seven goals notched in 2022/23 being the highest of his Albion career.

With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Dike has five months of football to prove his worth at the club. However, given his torrid luck at the Hawthorns, the minutes on the pitch could be rather hard to come by in what is a crucial period for the striker.