Dara O'Shea is set to see a specialist later this week to determine the extent of an ankle injury suffered on international duty, according to the Birmingham Mail.

The 22-year-old was involved in a flashpoint with Cristiano Ronaldo when the Republic of Ireland took on Portugal, with the legendary forward appearing to strike the defender in the face.

Not too long after that occurred, O'Shea was forced off the pitch and ever since then, Baggies fans have been sweating over his fitness as he's been a stand-out performer under Valerien Ismael.

O'Shea has even been chipping in with goals to add to his solid defensive performances, scoring twice in five matches so far in the Championship and his absence is set to be a big blow - especially as fellow central defender Matt Clarke is also on the sidelines.

The Birmingham Mail have reported that swelling still remains on the ankle of O'Shea, meaning that the full extent of his injury cannot be determined until later in the week.

It is different news to what Football Insider broke yesterday, who claim that O'Shea has picked up a knee injury and will miss the next four months of the season.

The Verdict

There are conflicting reports on O'Shea's status, but none of it sounds good whatsoever.

The fact that the defender had to be assisted from the pitch against Portugal was a worrying sign and the fact that there is still swelling on the ankle means it's taking a while to fully get to the bottom of things.

Along with Clarke's injury, West Brom are going to be left very threadbare at the back of the back for the next few weeks and with six matches before the next international break, the Baggies' three remaining fit centre-backs are set to get a lot of minutes under their belt.

Considering that O'Shea hasn't apparently had a scan yet though, there's still slight hope that the injury isn't as bad as many fear - there will be a lot of fingers crossed in West Bromwich for the rest of the week.