Krystian Bielik has labelled Albion team-mate Aune Heggebø a “ruthless striker” amidst the Norwegian's prolific goalscoring form.
Aune has notched five times in his last four Sky Bet Championship matches, including a brace during Saturday’s comeback victory over Swansea City, where the Baggies found themselves 2-0 down at half-time.
The win provides the perfect springboard for Ryan Mason’s men as they head to West London to take on QPR at MATRADE Loftus Road this Saturday (ko 3pm) - the first of three games in six days for Albion.
Bielik believes Heggebø can be crucial to their future fortunes in the second tier, and says the marksman’s recent purple patch doesn’t come as a surprise to the rest of the playing squad.
“Aune is a ruthless striker,” Bielik said. “He’s one of the strongest strikers I’ve ever had to face in training before.
“I can see the quality that he has, and the whole group can see what he can do. We all know what he can achieve.
“He’s so strong, he’s so good in the aerial duels, and even when you don’t give him the best ball, he can handle it. He’s capable of setting it down for others or holding it up - it’s clear he’s a great target for us to aim for.
“He’s scored five goals in his last four games, so you can see where he is with his form. We need him in every single game and I hope he keeps scoring for us.
“He’s one of those players that doesn’t calculate. He takes every training session seriously and he wants to do his best. That tells you straight away about him as a player and as a human being – I’m really glad we have him, he’s a top striker. We can all see it.
“As a team, we’re getting more bodies into the box. He’s not on his own and he can find his space to make it difficult for defenders in the penalty area. He’s ruthless, he’s strong and quick. That makes it difficult for defenders to get close to him.
“Even for the goal against Oxford United a few weeks ago, my good friend [Michał] Helik was marking him, but he lost him because of his speed. It’s very difficult to face him and I’m glad he's in our side.
“He didn’t surprise us in the Swansea game at all, we knew that he’d deliver.”
Bielik was one of four half-time changes against the Swans, which proved to be the catalyst for the remarkable turnaround as the Baggies harnessed the energy and intensity of the Hawthorns crowd to score three second-half goals and secure a welcome win.
When discussing his own playing time, the Poland international insists he’s “ready to go” ahead of a busy festive period.
“Obviously it’s not the way we wanted to start the game on Saturday,” Bielik admitted. “We conceded the goal in the first minute. That’s not easy, and we know we didn’t work well enough in the first half.
“The manager made the decision to change four players at halfway, and we needed that energy. We needed braveness and fresh legs to fight for it, and that’s what happened in the second half – we went out and wanted to express ourselves.
“I think we did very well compared to the first half, and if we play like that against any team, we’ll be unstoppable.
“The gaffer wanted us to express ourselves; he wanted us to go for it and to see warriors out there. I think that’s what we could see in that second half. It helped our fans to believe in us and they really followed us from there.
“We needed that support and we really appreciate it from the fans. I think at any level, to come back from 2-0 down and win the game is something special, it’s something for us to enjoy.
“Players, team-mates, coaching staff and everyone at this football club have to be proud of our performances and their work every day. I’m somebody who wants to push players in every training session. I demand from the players and I want to see them work as hard as they can.
“I believe in myself and what I can add to the team, I think I can help the team a lot. I’m healthy, I’m fit and I feel good.
“The manager knows he can use me, and I’m there, ready to go. I’m pretty sure in the next game I’ll be in and around the team, so I hope to start.”
