Liam O'Neil targets West Brom's US tour

Young midfielder Liam O'Neil is targeting a place on Albion's pre-season trip to America after giving up his summer holidays to get back to full fitness.

The 21-year-old is recovering from ankle surgery after suffering an injury while on loan at Scunthorpe in League One last season.

Now O'Neil, a product of the Baggies academy, is now looking to win a seat on the plane for the trip to the United States, which begins on July 12.

He said: "It's football – hopefully next year I will get a break but I just want to get fit as soon as possible.

"I've been in every day and my aim now is to impress the gaffer, which is important as I've not had a chance to work with him yet.

"The rehab is going well. I put my boots on on Thursday, did a bit of running, changing direction and a bit of ball work.

"The gaffer will start his preparations for the start of the season and I know I need to be fit. Hopefully with the rehab I'm doing now it won't be too long. Ideally I want to be in and around the America tour, but I couldn't say 100 per cent. As of now, I'm on the right path to achieving that.

"It was very frustrating. I was doing well at Scunthorpe, getting good experience and it would have been nice to be involved in the final Premier League games but it wasn't to be. So now I have some making up to do in that respect.

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"I have an opportunity this summer and want to take it so I can show the gaffer what I'm all about.

"I want to show him I'm hard working, someone I can trust. I've been lucky enough to play in Premier League before but you want more. This is a big year for me. It's about getting fit and then proving what I can do."

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