Graham Potter has no doubt that Neal Maupay will develop into a top Premier League striker.
Albion’s head coach says he loves working with the French forward, who has scored 22 top-flight goals and contributed five assists in 81 games.
That includes four this season and Maupay hopes to add to that tally at the London Stadium tonight, where he was on target last season when Albion shared four goals with West Ham United.
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Maupay, 25, returned after missing four games in Saturday's goalless draw against Leeds when he had two great chances to get on the scoresheet. Potter says Maupay reacted well when he is not in the team.
He said, “I love working with him because he challenges you as a coach. He doesn’t listen to anything outside of the football club.
“It's been a bit of a process [for Neal]. You arrive at a new club, you've got a role in the team, you go through the process of the Premier League, which is succeeding and failing, and when you are younger maybe you deal with it in a certain way and as we get a bit more experience and a bit older and more mature you deal with things better.
"That's just normal. That's probably what Neal's been through. He's dealt with the disappointment of not playing in the last couple of games well and supporting his team-mates, building relationships with his team-mates too. But his ratio of one goal every four games is pretty good.
"I’ve had a lot of honest conversations in the last two-and-a-half-years with Neal. He's a good guy and it's nice to see him developing as a person and a player."
Potter could have more options up front soon as Danny Welbeck, who hasn’t played since the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace in September, steps up his recovery from injury.
“Both he and Steven Alzate have responded well and we could see both of them training with the squad in the next couple of weeks,” added Potter.