West Bromwich Albion could be set for a boost with the return of left-back Kieran Gibbs as he makes his comeback for the under-23’s as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
Gibbs played 45 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League Cup on Monday afternoon as he aims to return from his recent hamstring injury in time for the promotion run-in.
The left-back has been on the treatment table since a recurrence of his hamstring injury against Leeds United on New Years Day and manager Slaven Bilic has already insisted that they will take extra caution with the defender.
Gibbs has missed most of the campaign with a groin complaint and then a broken toe suffered during his rehabilitation with his problems being compiled with a hamstring injury.
Although the Albion youth side lost to Newcastle, it will come as a real boost to the Baggies that the 30-year-old has come through 45 minutes unscathed.
West Brom have endured a frustrating time with team selection at full-back due to the injuries sustained to Kieran Gibbs and the transfer speculation surrounding Nathan Ferguson.
Conor Townsend has had an inconsistent West Brom career on the whole, but in recent weeks has been impressive in the absence of first-choice left-back Gibbs.
The Baggies will be looking to have as many of their first-team players available as possible during the second half of the campaign as they aim to secure promotion back to the Premier League.
In other team news for West Brom, Saul Shotton and Cheikh Diaby, both of whom arrived this season, played, as did Rayhaan Tulloch and Jack Fitzwater.
