Ryan Mason provides positive update on fitness of West Brom's Josh Maja
Albion striker Josh Maja is "progressing well" in his bid to return to full fitness during pre-season, revealed boss Ryan Mason.
The 26-year-old frontman is completing a personal training programme at the club's training base in Walsall, where players returned for pre-season last week.
Maja finished last season as Albion's 12-goal top scorer despite injury woes resulting in his last appearance coming on January 4 at Swansea.
The Nigerian underwent surgery and missed the final four months of the campaign recovering from a stress fracture in his lower leg.
He checked in as Albion's first-team squad, plus several youngsters, reported for duty under new boss Mason last week to begin preparation for the 2025/26 season.
"He's in a good place," Mason said at his media unveiling this week. "He's progressing well and we're happy with where he is at."
Maja is working individually with club physical and medical staff to a tailored programme having not featured in the second half of last season.
Having been photographed upon arrival with team-mates last Wednesday, his absence had been spotted among the club's training photographs and videos.
The frontman, who has entered the final year of his Baggies contract, was sorely missed by his club in the second half of last season as Albion eventually slumped down to ninth. Maja did not feature at all under Tony Mowbray.
Clarification is yet to be given over when Maja may advance his sessions into regular full team training, but given the progress he made towards the end of last season, the anticipation is the striker will be available for the start of the new campaign.
Mason, his staff and players jet out to the east Austrian town of Bad Tatzmannsdorf for a seven-day training camp from Saturday.
Asked of the squad he inherited from Mowbray, the new head coach said: "There are different players at different stages of their career and it's my job to get as much out of them as I can. That's something that excites me.
"Someone in the position I'm in, that's a part of my job. I'm still assessing every individual, but the fundamentals we're trying to build right now are key to what we are wanting to do."
