ALBION exercised their option to sign MacDonald on a permanent deal in January 2008.

The forward, who had spent the previous year on loan from Dutch Second Division outfit AGOVV Apeldoorn, sealed a £200,000 move.

MacDonald penned a two-and-a-half-year contract, plus a further year's option in the club's favour.

The jet-heeled winger was limited to 21 substitute appearances during his year-long loan spell with the Baggies but turned in several impressive performances for the reserves.

MacDonald joined League Two Hereford on a month's loan in February 2008 and enjoyed a goal-laden spell at Edgar Street, netting six times in just seven league appearances.

He returned to The Hawthorns but had to undergo knee cartilage surgery and only made one more first-team substitute appearance all term.

He caught Albion's eye by smashing 12 goals in 24 appearances, including one as a substitute, for AGOVV during the first part of the 2006/07 campaign and is a product of Ajax's youth system, having joined the Amsterdam outfit at seven.

The 6ft hitman joined Anderlecht as a 17-year-old in 2001, where he spent three seasons.

He made two Champions League appearances for the Belgian giants as a teenager against Bayern Munich and Celtic and also scored the decisive goal against Stabaek which booked their place in the UEFA Cup second round in 2002.

MacDonald then spent time on loan in his native country with Heracles Almelo and in Germany with Hamburger SV II before signing for AGOVV in May 2006.

MacDonald won his first Holland Under-21 cap in November 2006 when he played 57 minutes in a 1-0 defeat by an England side which included then-Baggies skipper Curtis Davies.