Pellegrini backs Brom boss Mel to be Premier League hit

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has backed his West Brom counterpart Pepe Mel to be a success in English football.

The pair know each other well, with both men having begun their Premier League careers this season after lengthy stints working in Spain. Mel, appointed as Albion head coach in January, has made something of a slow start, which saw him fail to oversee a Baggies win until his eighth game in charge while the club continue to struggle towards the bottom end of the table.

There have been notable signs of improvement of late, though, with that victory being one of two in West Brom’s last five matches, a sequence in which they have only been beaten once.