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Tony Pulis explains what went wrong for Serge Gnabry at West Brom after Tottenham goals
Tony Pulis claims Serge Gnabry failed at West Brom because he never reached the desired fitness levels.
Serge Gnabry's performance against Spurs praised by pundit
Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry flopped at West Brom because he never got fully fit, claims former manager Tony Pulis.
Gnabry joined the Baggies on loan from Arsenal in 2015 for a short stint before his move to Werder Bremen and then Bayern but didn’t manage to convince then boss Pulis.
The former Stoke manager could never get the winger fit enough and even remembers him being substituted during an under-21 match.
The winger, though, managed to bounce back as he went on to bigger and better things and proved it when he led the German champions to a stunning 7-2 win over Tottenham with a four-goal haul in London.
I had him at West Brom, we took him on loan and we could never get him fit - he even got taken off in an under-21 game
The 61-year-old gaffer is amazed with Gnabry’s “fantastic” development and is happy for him as he remembers him as a “nice kid”.
Pulis told Sky Sports: "I'm amazed [to see him perform so well on the European stage].
"I had him at West Brom, we took him on loan and we could never get him fit - he even got taken off in an under-21 game.
"He went back to Arsenal, they sold him on.
“He was a good kid, nice kid.
“I didn't mind him at all.
"He's really fulfilled his potential.
“You could knock me over with a feather.
“Having worked with him at West Brom and seeing him there - what he's done is absolutely amazing.
"When people show what they can do and really knuckle down and become so good - as he's done - it's absolutely fantastic."