Nottingham Forest linked £7m star scores against young Reds, Murphy wanted him in January

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Nottingham Forest were loosely linked with Daryl Dike in January and last night he played in an Under-21 fixture against the Reds.

It was the first time the American has played since July after picking up a thigh problem.

Dike wasn’t particularly a surprising link with Forest during the mid-season transfer window.

He was signed by Dane Murphy when he was the CEO at Barnsley, making a huge impact at Oakwell.

During the 2020/21 campaign, he scored nine goals in 22 appearances as the Tykes reached the play-offs.

Interestingly they were beaten by Steve Cooper’s Swansea on that occasion.

Last season, Murphy tried to land the powerful striker to complement Cooper’s squad for a promotion push at the City Ground.

Ultimately the price wasn’t right and West Brom parted with £7 million to sign him.

Forest instead opted to sign Keinan Davis and that move worked out, with the striker proving integral to Cooper’s team.

Last night, Dike made his big return to action after suffering an injury on the opening day of 2022/23.

It’s been a frustrating time for the striker and he will hope to make himself available to Carlos Corberan very soon.

Dike played against Forest for Under-21s

It wasn’t a particularly good night for the 22-year-old as he stepped up his return to fitness.

Dike did score Albion’s goal from the spot but he was on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing.

Forest had captain Billy Fewster sent off after 22 minutes yet the Baggies had no answer to the team’s brilliance.

The Reds added a further three goals, with Dike’s penalty proving scant consolation.

At 22, Dike looks like an exciting player for the future and he will be desperate to get back involved at West Brom.

The Baggies are struggling at the wrong end of the Championship table.

They’ve struggled for goals and having a player with the brute strength of Dike will naturally help their cause.

Murphy may still keep tabs on the player but in the short term, he will have to prove his fitness to his current club.