West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic has delivered an update on the fitness of midfielder Gareth Barry, ahead of the experienced player's potential return to the Hawthorns.

Barry departed the Hawthorns at the end of last season, having picked up a knee injury which required the 38-year-old to have surgery during the summer, but with the midfielder having been training with West Brom in a bid to complete his recovery from the injury he is now expected to sign a new deal with the club.

The midfielder's potential return to the Hawthorns was held up by the Baggies being involved in a financial dispute with Everton, over the club's payments for the midfielder, which has since been resolved allowing the Baggies to complete a deal for Barry.

Speaking to the Express and Star ahead of the Baggies' trip to Stoke City, Bilic suggested that Barry has been training with West Brom and is nearing fitness ahead of a potential return to the Hawthorns, saying: "He’s been there before in big games, has massive experience, massive quality and that’s why we want him to sign as soon as possible.

"He’s close. He had an operation on his knee and he worked really hard.

"To cut a long story short he’s been training with us and he looks good.

"He has to play two or three games, but not eight or 10 for the under-23s to get that sharpness.

"There are no short-cuts for sharpness. Everybody needs those games for sharpness."

The Verdict

West Brom will welcome the addition of Barry to their squad, with the experienced midfielder a potentially very important option for them to call on from the bench when they are looking to see out tight matches, which is something Bilic has stated he wants his side to improve on as the season progresses.

The fact that Barry has been training with the Baggies and is nearing a return to fitness will be a boost ahead of his return to the club, and West Brom will be hoping that he can get back fully match fit in time to help them handle the hectic winter schedule in the Championship.

Barry has shown real determination to come back from his knee injury, with the midfielder having had the option to retire in the summer following his release from the Hawthorns, but having worked so hard on his recovery he will be eager to make a return to action as soon as possible for the Baggies.