Graham Potter says that Ben White's journey to the top has benefitted his career and development.
The central defender was released by tonight's opponents Southampton aged 16 before joining Albion.
White had loan spells with Newport County, Peterborough and Leeds United before returning to the club and breaking into Potter's team in the Premier League.
Potter said, “Those setbacks are part of life. Sometimes you get rejection, and the most important thing is how you respond.
“Lots of players get released from clubs and it's important to put things into perspective.
“He's taken a path with various loan moves that have allowed him to play football where he has had setbacks and mistakes which have helped him develop and learn.
“Now he's trying to establish himself playing in the Premier League, which is a huge challenge, but he's taking it on.”
Asked about White's attributes on the pitch the boss said, “His ability to defend with big space behind him is one of the things that stands out, which isn't something that is easy to do.
“He's got a great range of passing and is very athletic and brave.
“He's got a lot of attributes that are very useful in the Premier League.”
Southampton lost 3-2 to Manchester United last time out after leading 2-0 and Potter anticipates a strong reaction from them tonight.
“They have had enough setbacks and disappointments to be able to come back strong, so we're expecting them to do that.
“Like ourselves, they'll have picked the positives out of their performance last weekend and they'll be ready to play and we'll be the same.”