'He's a mountain' - Steve Bruce admires Super Eagles defender

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has praised Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi for his recent performances for the Baggies.

Ajayi was involved in West Brom's opening Championship match of the season, a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

The Super Eagles defender continues to show his worth to the Baggies, having played over 100 matches for the English second-tier side since he joined in 2019.

In the aftermath of the match, Bruce noted that Semi Ajayi has significantly improved since the turn of the year when the veteran English coach took charge of the club.

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According to Express and Star, Bruce admitted that he believes the Nigerian international is a 'hell of a defender’ and he also enjoys watching him play football.

Bruce commented: "Ajayi I have to say, he’s improved enormously since I’ve walked through the door. I’ve enjoyed watching him, he’s a hell of a good defender."

The former Newcastle United manager also listed some of the qualities that Semi Ajayi possesses, describing the 28-year-old defender as 'big, strong, and quick' while praising the 'mountain' of a performance that Ajayi produced against Middlesbrough.

"When he’s like he was on Saturday he’s big, strong, powerful, quick, he gave a mountain of a performance, especially second half," Bruce concluded.

Semi Ajayi will be hoping to do better with West Brom this season after the London-based club missed out on Premier League promotion last season having finished 10th on the 2021/22 Championship table.