West Brom boss Valerien Ismael has revealed key defender Dara O’Shea could be ready to return to the squad in “two or three weeks” after a lengthy spell out.
West Brom centre-back O’Shea was in flying form in the early stages of the campaign, netting two goals and helping keep two clean sheets in five Championship games.
His form warranted a call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad, where he unfortunately suffered a fractured ankle that has kept him sidelined since.
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The news came as a huge blow to the Baggies as O’Shea faced a long spell out. They’ve been without the defender for over three months and now, it has emerged that he could be as little as two to three weeks away from a return to action.
As quoted by Pundit Area, West Brom boss Valerien Ismael has said O’Shea’s return will be like a new signing, stating he could be back in the squad in January.
Here’s what he had to say on the matter:
“It looks very good.
“If everything goes right, he could be back in training in January.
“Dara will be like a new player for us. He looks very good, so hopefully in two or three weeks he can be back in the squad.”
A huge boost
West Brom have had to deal with defensive shortages for much of this season, with Kean Bryan being brought in on a free transfer earlier in the campaign to provide further cover, and even he was struck down with a season-ending injury.
O’Shea was huge for the Baggies in their strong start to the campaign, and his return could be pivotal in their promotion push.
Though they currently sit outside the automatic promotion spots, the return of O’Shea will be a big boost to their hopes of breaking back into the top-two and pushing for an immediate return to the Premier League.
