When the young player returns from a developmental loan at Bolton Wanderers, where he’s undoubtedly attracting the attention of those watching in Greater Manchester, the Spanish manager of the Baggies may decide to give another raw talent an opportunity to shine.
The tenure of Zac Ashworth at West Brom
Prior to going further with his heroics while on loan in League One, Zac Ashworth, 21, had occasionally made headlines for his parent club at the youth level.
Ashworth is a versatile player who can play as a left back, center back, or even farther forward along the left wing in defense. Over the course of 58 appearances, he has scored four goals for the Baggies at the junior level, which has led to sporadic opportunities for him to play in the first squad.
With the West Midlands team, Ashworth has made six senior appearances. The most recent of these came during a 45-minute stint in the FA Cup at the beginning of 2023 against non-league Chesterfield Town.
In the same vein as Fellows, the 20-year-old Ashworth has started to draw attention at several different loan teams in Burton Albion and Bolton after getting his start at Crawley Town on loan lower down the EFL pyramid.
With the latter loan swap, the versatile young player has really blossomed. Bolton manager Ian Evatt has been praising the Baggies starlet frequently during his brief time with the former Premier League Trotters, and for good cause.
The period of Zak Ashworth’s loan at Bolton
In League One, Ashworth has emulated Fellows’ directness with the ball by donning his new Bolton kit and tearing forward with it as an expansive option, nearly taking over as a left midfielder in place of wing-back duties for Evatt’s promotion-chasing team.
Because of this, Ashworth has been able to regularly get his new fans up from their seats. In January, he even won Goal of the Month after scoring a beautiful volley against Carlisle United.
The Bolton manager has talked up Ashworth as a player who can “score goals” and provide much more as an adaptable presence. It will be interesting to see if Corberan decides to take a chance on Ashworth and give him more playing time in an attempt to mimic Fellows’ successful transition to the senior team at the Hawthorns.
It appears that Ashworth is more comfortable playing down the left channel than filling in at center defense, even if he has done so occasionally when playing for West Brom.
Looking at his incredibly successful time with the Trotters thus far, it is evident that this is the case. Despite only starting six league games overall, the young Welshman has scored three goals and provided two assists from this position.
