Carlos Corberán has offered an update on the fitness on four members of his senior squad ahead of Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship clash with Cardiff City (ko 3pm).
The boss revealed defender Kyle Bartley is set to miss the encounter at The Hawthorns owing to a knee injury – an issue which kept the No.5 out of Wednesday’s goalless draw at Blackburn Rovers.
Corberán also mentioned Lewis Dobbin felt pain in his hip after coming on in the second half at Ewood Park, leaving the on-loan winger a doubt for the clash with the Bluebirds.
Jamaica international Mason Holgate could return to the matchday squad having been unavailable for recent tests at Oxford United and Blackburn.
Elsewhere, there’s been a small “setback” for striker Daryl Dike who injured his hamstring in training.
The Spaniard accepts the American will be frustrated, but insists muscle injuries are normal at this late stage of a player’s rehabilitation process following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Carlos said: “Kyle Bartley has been with a specialist who has been looking at his knee and deciding what the best way to fix the inflammation is. It’s the same knee he has received treatment on before.
“We’re always monitoring the situation and managing the physical load on him. It’s a moment where we are waiting for more information, but he won’t be available for the game against Cardiff City.
“We need to evaluate what the right treatment will be and the time the treatment will need to work.
“In terms of the availability of the players who played in the last game, Lewis Dobbin suffered a small pain in his hip. He’s a doubt for the game, but we are waiting to see how he’s going to react to the treatment he’s had today.
“In training this week, Daryl Dike was feeling a small pain in his hamstring. Let’s say it’s a small setback, but this is part of the process. We know that when he came back into training with the group, in this last step of his rehabilitation is when the muscle problems could appear.
“It’s not a surprise for us, but it’s also not a positive for him because he was in the last period after having a difficult time and now he has another difficult one.
“It’s a small setback that we need to manage well, but, in my opinion, it’s a normal part of this process. When you try to make your body ready again after a long time, you are going to have some muscle difficulty. The medical staff and the coaching staff understand that this is part of the process.
“It hasn’t affected my plans with Daryl or our upcoming games, but it’s important to manage this carefully because we don’t want something small to turn into something big.
“Mason Holgate trained on Thursday and if he reacts well to the training on Friday, he’s an option for Saturday.”
