Championship: West Brom boss explains Ajayi’s importance to team

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan says having Semi Ajayi back from injury is a good thing for the team.

Ajayi made his return to the Albion squad for the game against Hull City on Saturday afternoon after missing the previous two outings due to injury.

The centre-back scored the Baggies’ third goal in the 3-1 win following his second-half introduction.

Corberan explained the Nigeria international’s importance to the team.

“He’s [Ajayi] very important, he’s very necessary to increase the competitiveness of the team and the solution today for example with Bartley. We move Bartley because there is always his injury and to have someone like Semi who hasn’t been playing a lot is always positive news,” Corberan told the club’s official website.

“In every game you always can see a different type of way to achieve the win. The most important thing for me is the commitment of the players to compete every game in the way that we are competing right now.”

Ajayi’s return to action is a huge boost for Nigeria, who are now expected to include the defender in their squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.