West Brom will be "desperate" for Daryl Dike to get fit, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The American striker made the switch to the Hawthorns for more than £7m in January, but an injury has restricted him to just a handful of appearances.

What's the latest news involving Dike?

When the 21-year-old arrived at West Brom, he would have been hoping to continue where he left off when he was last in English football for Barnsley when he scored nine Championship goals to help the Tykes finish in the top-six under Valerien Ismael.

But just 53 minutes into his second outing and first start in a Baggies shirt, Dike suffered a hamstring problem and has been on the sidelines ever since.

Following a scan on the issue, West Brom confirmed that Dike would miss around two months of action, although he's currently more than halfway through that issue and will be hoping to return in the coming weeks.

When Dike got injured, the Baggies were sat fifth in the Championship table and remained in the race for automatic promotion despite their inconsistent results.

But in recent weeks, West Brom's form has got significantly worse, and their goals have dried up almost entirely, with Jayson Molumby's recent opener at Middlesbrough ending a run of almost eight hours without finding the net.

What did O'Rourke say about Dike?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "They'll be desperate for Daryl Dike to get back to fitness as soon as possible."

"Lack of goals has been a real distinct problem for West Brom this season. Their goal against Middlesbrough was their first goal since 22 January."

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When is Dike expected to return?

Judging by the fact that Dike was originally ruled out for two months at the end of January, he'll surely be targeting a return after the next international break.

Unless something changes dramatically, he's likely to miss every Championship fixture remaining in March but could make his comeback for the Midlands derby against Birmingham on April 2, providing he suffers no setbacks from now until that game at St Andrew's.

Dike is yet to get up and running in a West Brom shirt, but his return will be a huge boost for everyone associated with the club.

But with games running out, the Baggies will have to collect some positive results to ensure that by the time Dike is ready to play again, their top-six race is not run.