Football moves fast. One minute you're the "freakish" engine room prospect at Carrington, and the next you're grinding out 1-1 draws in the Championship. That was the reality for Toby Collyer at West Brom this season. It was supposed to be the making of him. A full year under Ryan Mason, playing for a side with legitimate promotion ambitions, and proving he could handle the physical brutality of the English second tier. Instead, by January 2026, he’s back at Manchester United, nursing a calf injury and looking at a completely different career map.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a tragedy for the Baggies. They fought hard for him.
Back in August, it felt like a massive coup for the Hawthorns. Andrew Nestor and the recruitment team beat out about a dozen other clubs—including a very persistent Hull City—to land the 22-year-old. He arrived with a reputation for "unreal" running stats, the kind of numbers that supposedly eclipsed even Bruno Fernandes in training. Fans were hyped. They saw a kid who had already stood his ground in a Community Shield and put in a defensive shift against Arsenal. But the reality of the Championship is a different beast entirely.
What actually happened with the Toby Collyer West Brom loan?
If you just look at the stat sheet, it looks... underwhelming. 12 appearances. Only three starts. Zero goals. One lonely assist.
But stats in the Championship are famously deceptive. Collyer didn't go to the West Midlands to be a goal-scoring playmaker. He went there to be a "destroyer." For a while, he was doing exactly that. When he came on, he was aggressive. He won his duels. He kept things simple. Maybe too simple? Some fans started grumbling that he was a bit of a "safety-first" player—lots of sideways passes, not enough risk.
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Then came the Birmingham City game in late November.
It was a standard 1-1 draw, but for Collyer, it was the end of the road. That calf injury turned out to be "quite big," as the reports from Carrington eventually confirmed. He didn't just need a week of ice and rest; he needed a full rehabilitation program. By December, he was back at United's medical center. By New Year's Day 2026, the loan was officially dead. Recalled.
The Michael Carrick Factor and the Hull City Hijack
Everything is "up in the air" right now because Manchester United is in a state of flux. With Michael Carrick stepping in as interim boss, the internal hierarchy has shifted. Carrick, a man who knows a thing or two about playing in the middle of the park, apparently wants to take a long look at Collyer before deciding his next move.
Here is the twist: Hull City haven't given up.
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They wanted him in the summer. They’re still pushing for him now. Sergej Jakirovic, the Hull manager, has been vocal about it. He basically said, "Look, we spoke to him, we spoke to Jonny Evans (who was United's loan manager at the time), and he chose West Brom. We respect that, but we still want him."
- The West Brom Perspective: They wanted him back once fit. Ryan Mason was a huge fan of his work ethic and humility.
- The Hull City Perspective: They’re sitting near the playoff spots and need that "engine" to get them over the line.
- The United Perspective: Does he stay and provide depth for Casemiro and Ugarte, or does he go back out to a team where he’ll actually start every week?
Why his "Safe" play is actually a good sign
A lot of the criticism surrounding Toby Collyer at West Brom focused on his lack of progressive passing. People called him a "younger version of Manuel Ugarte"—great at the dirty work, but "couldn't pass a ball forward to save his life."
That's harsh.
When you're a 21-year-old academy kid on loan, your biggest fear is making the mistake that costs your team a goal and lands you on the bench for a month. You play it safe. You follow the manager's instructions to the letter. At West Brom, he was asked to be the anchor. He held his own against some of the most physical midfields in the country. That "safe" passing isn't a lack of ability; it's a lack of ego. He’s a disciplined soldier.
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He’s got the tools. He’s shown he can hit a cross-field switch. He’s shown he can dribble out of tight spaces. The "freakish" fitness is real—he doesn't stop moving. What he needs isn't more talent; it's more confidence to fail.
What’s next for Toby Collyer?
The next few days are going to be massive. If the medical staff at Carrington give the green light, he’s likely heading back to the Championship. Hull City seems to be the frontrunner, with reports suggesting a deal could be finalized "early next week."
West Brom fans might feel a bit aggrieved. They put in the work to integrate him, dealt with the early growing pains, and now another rival might reap the rewards of a fully fit, battle-hardened Toby Collyer. That’s the loan market for you. It’s brutal.
If you're following this saga, keep an eye on the official club announcements around January 20th. That's when we'll know if he's staying at Old Trafford to learn under Carrick or heading to the MKM Stadium to help Hull's promotion push.
Actionable Insights for the Second Half of 2026:
- Monitor the Minutes: If Collyer moves to Hull, watch his starts. If he doesn't start 80% of the remaining games, the loan is a failure for his development.
- Watch the Forward Passes: Look for a change in his "progressive passes per 90" stat. If he starts taking more risks, it means United have told him to "express himself" more.
- Contract Watch: He’s tied down until 2027. If he doesn't secure a permanent role in the United squad by the end of the 2026 pre-season, expect a permanent transfer talk to heat up next summer.
The West Brom chapter is closed. It was short, it was interrupted by injury, but it proved he can survive the shark tank of the Championship. Now, he just needs to prove he can dominate it.