West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Bruce has provided a fitness update on summer recruit Okay Yokuslu ahead of the Baggies trip to Middlesbrough this weekend.

The Baggies secured a re-union with the Turkish international on a free transfer earlier this summer, with the 28-year-old putting pen to paper on a three year deal at The Hawthorns.

However, Yokuslu has not had a proper pre-season having only arrived in the midlands in the last few weeks, and is therefore behind his teammates in terms of match fitness.

Speaking ahead of West Brom's trip to the Riverside Stadium for their Championship opener this weekend, Bruce suggested that the Turkish international could play no part, insisting that the club will be patient with him if they have to be.

“He [Yokuslu] has trained with our fitness people,” Bruce said, via the Express and Star.

“He’s a naturally fit boy, but these guys are now five six games in and have been here for six weeks. “That’s what you do pre-season for. He’s a bit behind, but he’s here for a long time.

 

 

“If we have to be patient with him, then we have to be." Middlesbrough versus West Brom is set for a 17:30PM kick-off at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday evening. The match is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

The Verdict

Not a brilliant update for West Brom here, but perhaps one that comes as no surprise. Arriving so late in the pre-season having not had one, Yokuslu was always going to be up against it to be ready for the start of the campaign. Steve Bruce is right to be patient and wait until the right moment to bring him in - that may be this weekend, it may not. However, doing so too early risks injury, which would be a huge blow for the club for the rest of the campaign given the ability Yokuslu has shown previously.