Slaven Bilic reveals pride in former West Brom proteges

Townsend, 29, is one of a number of Baggies players who played under Bilic and featured for Carlos Corberan’s side at Watford on Monday.

Townsend, signed from Scunthorpe in 2018, marked 150 Albion appearances this season. He was a regular in Bilic’s 18 months at The Hawthorns, both in the Championship and Premier League.

The former boss also predicted Dara O’Shea, Albion’s captain for most of this season, would go on to enjoy a stellar career.

“I told them,” Bilic said. “I told Dara, I told Conor, I told Darnell. I am extremely proud of them.

“To see Dara captaining West Brom, to see Conor – he was under massive scrutiny – he is a Premier League player, one of the best full-backs in the league, so composed, so good.

“Grady, too. I am very proud of them. It’s a good club.”

Albion go from Monday’s defeat against former boss Bilic to one of the toughest tests in the division against in-form automation promotion-hunting Middlesbrough.

Asked if he still wishes the club well in their quest, Bilic smiled: “Yes, but not too well! As a neutral, yes, but I’m not neutral.

“They are a good team, it’s a big club, a good team, a good manager.

“All of their players came to me after the game. That mentality is the right mentality, I like that mentality.”

He added of a first Albion reunion: “I didn’t like it, you know. If it was a friendly game then I’d like it but when it was like this, meant so much to us and them, you don’t like those hugs and kisses and everything, blah, blah, blah.

“But you see (backroom staff), all of them, then the players, I have to be concentrated on my players, you know, my guys!

“But it was special, let’s be honest.”