West Brom without Semi Ajayi for at least six weeks after ankle surgery
West Brom defender Semi Ajayi will be out of action for at least six weeks after he was forced to have surgery on an ankle injury.
The Nigerian international is thought to be able to return before the Championship pauses for the World Cup in Qatar which is due to start on 20 November.
The Super Eagles surprisingly failed to qualify for the tournament but that should allow Ajayi more time to recover after Steve Bruce revealed the extent of his injury.
“We knew it was a huge amount of games in a small period of time,” Bruce said, as quoted by Birmingham Live. “We’ve had one or two injuries which have unfortunately for us been serious in that time. Semi has had an operation on his ankle. We felt it was the best forward, so he’ll be another six to eight weeks or so.”
Kyle Bartley stepped in to partner Dara O’Shea in defence against Burnley and could do so again when Birmingham City turn up at The Hawthorns.
Big blow
This is the last thing Bruce or any Albion fan will have wanted to happen with Ajayi being the club’s best central defender on his day.
Bartley may be a competent stand-in for the Nigerian but he is getting on a bit now and the extremely fast pace of the Championship can sometimes prove to be too much for him.
A big derby game against the Blues will be the ultimate test of that with the constant pressure of Scott Hogan likely to lead the line and cause problems for the Baggies backline.
But if Bruce’s side can keep the ball as well as they have for much of the season so far, there won’t be much defending to do for O’Shea and Bartley with West Brom likely to dominate the possession.
On an evening where local bragging rights are at a premium, missing your best defender is far from ideal but Albion should still be considered favourites.
In other West Brom news, it is now the last chance saloon for this Baggies midfielder as he secured his second loan of the season on Monday.