West Brom boss reacts to signing Manchester United loanee Toby Collyer

'The reality is' - West Brom boss reacts to signing Manchester United loanee Toby Collyer

Man Utd loanee Toby Collyer made his debut for West Brom last weekend, coming on from the bench away at Wrexham.

Toby Collyer has signed for West Brom on loan. (Image: 2025 Adam Fradgley)

West Brom manager Ryan Mason believes Toby Collyer will "grow as a player" during his loan.

‌

Manchester United agreed to send Collyer to The Hawthorns last week. The midfielder received interest from over a dozen clubs in the Championship, but West Brom won the race for his signature.

‌

Former Tottenham midfielder Mason is hopeful of leading West Brom back to the topflight.

‌

Collyer is expected to play a key role for West Brom this season, and Mason spoke glowingly about the 21-year-old's potential following his debut cameo against Wrexham last weekend.

"Toby's a young player, but we know we're going to need him and he's going to help us," Mason told reporters. "I've wanted Toby for a few weeks now. He's someone that I really believe in, which is important and I have that belief in all of my players.

"But when you go on loan to somewhere, I think you need to feel like you're wanted from the club and the manager and he certainly is that.

Article continues below

"Hopefully we can help him because if we help him improve and grow as a player, then it's certainly going to be beneficial to us.

"I think there's loads of room and loads of growth to develop. That's certainly going to happen on the training pitch. The reality is the game is the best teacher.

"The more game exposure you can get, the better, especially at a young age. I'm sure and I expect that Toby knows that I believe in him, which for me is super important.

‌

"I'm going to put a lot of energy, the same amount of energy that I've put into him as every other one of my players, to help them grow and improve."

Mason added: "He's a good kid, humble, wants to work, wants to be part of it. You can feel that as soon as you speak to him.

"He wants to play football, loves football and that's super important. We want those types of people in the building who want to work and be part of something.

‌

"On Saturday, he replaced Isaac [Price] and had a bit of a higher role, but there'll be times where he'll be a bit lower and we'll be expecting and demanding different things from him.

"Most importantly, he's going to work hard. He's part of a group. He's part of a team and a football club that want to help him."

Collyer made 13 first-team appearances in a breakthrough 2024/2025 at Old Trafford.

‌

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more £43 £35 Sky Get Sky Sports here Product Description Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more. Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.

---

Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.

Article continues below

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.

And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.

Click here to read article