Former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Andy Johnson has claimed that Slaven Bilic has done an "unbelievable" job and "has got the Hawthorns bouncing again".

The Croatian coach took charge of the Baggies in the summer and has had them competing right at the top of the Championship throughout the 2019/20 campaign.

West Brom are second in the table as things stand and looked a frontrunner for promotion before the delay to the season.

It remains to be seen what the conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign will bring for the Baggies but, speaking to the Express and Star, Johnson was clear that in Bilic, they had the right man at the helm.

He said: "The job Slaven has done is unbelievable. The Hawthorns is bouncing again and it's lovely to see.

"At the beginning of pre-season, everyone was a bit doom and gloom – we had no manager and no new signings.

"But we were patient, got the right man and he's done an incredible job gelling the club on and off the pitch.

"We've got a togetherness we've not had in a long time – and that is why we deserve to go up."

Having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2017/18 season, the Baggies came close to getting back up at the first time of asking but were beaten by Aston Villa in the play-offs.

Following that defeat they headed into the summer managerless as Darren Moore had been sacked during the run-in, with James Shan stepping in as caretaker boss.

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The Verdict

You'd imagine West Brom fans will feel a lot more confident heading forward with Bilic at the helm, whether that is into the Premier League or for another term in the Championship.

The Croatian has done a fantastic job and under his stewardship, they're deservedly sitting in the Championship top two.

He will likely be nervously awaiting any decision from the EFL or Premier League over their promotion hopes.