Kyle Bartley nearing West Brom return to action
West Brom are hopeful of having Kyle Bartley back in contention for the weekend Championship fixture against Luton Town, according to Steve Bruce.
The defender was admitted to hospital last week and missed the 2-0 defeat to Sheffield United, and is unavailable for the game against Blackburn on Monday night too.
However according to the Birmingham Mail, Steve Bruce is hopeful of having him back available again for the next game at the weekend although there is no update on forward Matty Phillips’ most recent injury.
“He has chicken pox. At least we know what it is, he’s got to isolate for seven days. We expect him available maybe for Luton,” Bruce is quoted as saying.
There is no update on Phillips, who hasn’t featured for the club since the 2-0 defeat to Millwall which served to be Valerien Ismael’s final game in charge of the club.
Huge boost
The return of key defender Bartley to the first-team picture will be a huge boost to the team, considering their poor form recently.
Bartley has been part of that record but they severely missed his leadership in the defeat to Sheffield United and he’s one who will likely benefit from the change of system under Bruce.
His role as a senior player is essential in getting the manager’s ideas across to the rest of the team, especially in the absence of Jake Livermore in the next few games through suspension.
It would be even better for him and the team if they could get a much-needed victory over Blackburn on Monday night before his return.
The Baggies currently sit in ninth place in the table, four points off the playoff places with 14 games left to play.
They still have the best defensive record in the league with just 26 goals conceded, and Bartley is a big reason for that.
In other West Brom news, View: The West Brom puzzle that Steve Bruce must solve to earn promotion