West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has revealed that while Kyle Bartley is set to return to training in the coming days, fellow defender Kean Bryan has still got a long way to go in his road to recovery.
Bryan was drafted in by the Baggies last September after Dara O'Shea suffered a serious ankle injury on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
The former Sheffield United man sustained ligament damage in what was only his third appearance for West Brom which resulted in him missing the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.
As for Bartley, he was a notable absentee from West Brom's squad last night for their pre-season friendly with Northampton Town.
In the absence of the centre-back, the Baggies stepped up their preparations for the new term by securing a 3-0 win in this fixture.
Daryl Dike, Karlan Grant and Adam Reach managed to find the back of the net for Albion who are set to take on Crewe Alexandra in their fourth friendly of the summer on Saturday.
Following his side's meeting with the Cobblers, Bruce shared an injury update on Bryan and Bartley.
Speaking to Birmingham Live, Bruce said: "Kean Bryan has still unfortunately got a long way to go, even though he's six and a half months in.
"Bartley is on the grass.
"I'd expect him to return to training in the next couple of days."
The Verdict
This is a mixed update as although West Brom will be pleased to see Bartley return to training, they will need to be patient regarding Bryan's situation due to the severity of his injury.
Providing that Bartley is able to build up his fitness, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see him feature in the club's clash with Middlesbrough in the Championship on July 30th.
Having recorded an impressive average WhoScored match rating of 7.03 at this level in the previous term, Bartley will be confident in his ability to deliver the goods in the opening stages of the 2022/23 campaign.
As for Bryan, West Brom will need to ease him back into action when he recovers from his issue as this will minimise the risk of another injury setback.