Carlos Corberan has disclosed that John Swift suffered calf and hamstring issues during training last week, which caused him to miss West Brom’s 1-1 draw with Stoke at The Hawthorns.
Swift was due to resume full training with the team following his return to the squad against Rotherham, according to Corberan, before experiencing muscle concerns in training.
The manager went on to say that keeping his key players at peak fitness levels this season is proving difficult, but he is attempting to manage the situation.
“Last week it was planned for him to train normally because we recovered after Rotherham and he didn’t play minutes and he recovered the next day,” the manager told Birmingham Live [19 December].
“The plan was for him to train normally on Thursday, but because he still felt something in his calf, he didn’t train Friday, and he felt something in his hamstring during training on Saturday.” I’m dealing with him on a daily basis because I can’t deal with him any other way.
“We need everyone at the best level, to keep the best level in all of the season is a challenge. For me when the players have any type of physical problem it’s difficult for them to reach normal levels.”
Another bitter blow
Corberan’s attacking options have once again been destroyed by catastrophic injuries to both Matt Phillips and Josh Maja in recent weeks, when it appeared that he would finally have a full roster to choose from with different players returning from their blows.
The news that Swift suffered a double injury in training will be another setback for Albion and their prospects of being consistent as they compete for a playoff spot, though Birmingham Live reports that the manager is sure Swift will be out for only a short time.
Corberan is hoping Swift will be able to recover for the Christmas fixtures, with the difficulties in training being more minor than the major injuries saw with Maja and Phillips.
With so much football to be played in the coming months, the manager will want to see players on the outskirts of the team step up and those with minor injuries return to provide him with depth despite some significant absences.
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