West Brom have confirmed that attacking midfielder Harvey Barnes is to undergo medical examinations on the foot injury which ruled him out of England under-21 duty while Chris Brunt is also continuing his recovery in a double injury update.
The Baggies revealed on their official website that the experienced Northern Ireland international is closing in a return from the hamstring problem which saw him sidelined and there is hope he will be back for the trip to Ipswich Town.
Barnes meanwhile pulled out of international duty and is set to head back to the Hawthorns to take part in tests to determine the severity of the injury, with initial hopes that it is not a serious setback.
Opinion
Good news all round for the Baggies who, like every other team who have international talents, will have been worried about their star men picking up some sort of setback while with their country. How often do clubs have to make do without one of their top performers because he has come back unfit from playing over the international break? With Barnes back in the midlands it means Darren Moore and the medical team at West Brom can keep him wrapped up in cotton wool to make sure he is fully fit for when they resume their league action at Portman Road. Barnes is a crucial member of the squad and missing him would be a seriously heavy blow. As such, all fingers will be crossed that this foot injury, which they seem confident is a minor setback, really is nothing serious. If it is, then their hopes of Championship success could go up in smoke.