The long and excruciating wait for American forward Daryl Dike is set to come to its end on Saturday.

Dike is set to start West Bromwich Albion’s FA Cup match vs. Aldershot Town on Sunday, manager Carlos Corberan revealed in Friday’s pre-match press conference. Dike had been sidelined since last spring after suffering a torn Achilles tendon, which ruled him out of action for the first half of the current campaign.

“We have all been looking forward to this moment, but Daryl is especially looking to it,” Corberan said. “He has been managing his injury for a long time and now appears to be the moment where he is ready to return to the competition.

“He has been training with the group when it has been possible to train with the group,” he added. “Unfortunately, it has been a very demanding period where we’ve had lots of games and not very many team training sessions.”

Dike joined West Brom in December 2021, but has been reduced to only 27 combined appearances due to respective injuries. The former Orlando City draft pick could be a crucial returnee for the Baggies, who are fighting to earn promotion back to the English Premier League.

Dike scored seven goals last season prior to his season-ending injury, which ranked as the second-most on the West Brom roster.

The Baggies sit fifth in the EFL Championship this season, but are only three points clear in the playoff places.