West Brom manager Darren Moore has confirmed that winger Matt Phillips is facing a last minute fitness test for the clash against Sheffield Wednesday in midweek.
The Baggies forward was missing for the victory over Preston North End on Saturday after picking up an injury blow versus Millwall, and while the injury is nothing serious, still faces a late assessment to judge whether he is indeed ready for action.
Meanwhile fellow forward Dwight Gayle, who was pulled off in the win against Preston after picking up a knock, is said to be fine and ready to face the Owls.
Moore told the Express and Star: “We’re assessing him (Phillips). We’ll have a look at it for Wednesday.
“It’s nothing too serious or bad, we just felt with the relentless schedule, you can’t risk people because there are games around the corner. We’ll have a look at him for Wednesday.”
Opinion
Moore would love to have Phillips back at his disposal as soon as possible, but the manager has to make sure that he is not rushing him back before he is fully ready to be thrown into the deep end once again. Muscle injuries are a pain in that they can recur in the blink of an eye if things are not completely healed, and while the tests might say he is ready to face Wednesday, it might be best if he sits on the sidelines for a couple more days just to make sure he is completely ready for action. One of Phillips’ biggest assets is his pace but his sprints mean he is more susceptible to picking up muscle strains and for that reason he is a player who needs to be carefully managed. Having Gayle available after his own potential injury worry will be the best bit of news for Moore and the Baggies fans, for he has been something special since signing from Newcastle, and missing him would be a big blow to their chances.