Ryan Mason explains Kyle Bartley issue amid ongoing West Brom absence

Bartley, 34, is Albion's longest-serving player and vice-captain but his future at the club is up in the air after the Baggies added two new centre-backs to their options this summer.

Boss Ryan Mason, whose side were dealt a 2-1 friendly defeat at League One Blackpool on Saturday, said that a player's advancing years can make it 'more difficult to get going again'.

Bartley, who last week marked seven years at the club, was hampered by some injury issues last season, including minor keyhole surgery on a long-standing knee issue. That problem has left the defender unsuitable to feature regularly in congested runs of fixtures.

"It's just respecting his body and understanding that the older you get it can take more time to get going again," Mason said when asked about Bartley's absence at Blackpool.

"It's a long off-season that we had and we're just trying to build him up and get strength into his legs."

The Albion head coach had previously said Bartley was managing an outstanding issue from the summer. The defender is yet to join in team training with his colleagues and is managing his own fitness programme. He has not featured in either of his team's three friendlies.

New recruits Nat Phillips and George Campbell, the latter signed last week and also seen as a right-back option, are central defenders and join Torbjorn Heggem, Caleb Taylor and Bartley as options in a crowded department.

Bartley is into another season at The Hawthorns as he triggered an appearance-related clause in his contract for the 2025/26 campaign.

Attacking midfielder Tammer Bany missed out at Blackpool through a minor hamstring injury sustained in the pre-season camp in Austria, an issue Mason is not concerned with. Captain Jed Wallace and striker Josh Maja are also working back from short and long-term injury problems respectively.

"It was just a little tightness," Mason said of Bany. "He's working and hopefully he'll be OK for next weekend."

The head coach added of other absentees: "They're all at sort of different stages. It won't be too long before we see those boys back out I'm sure."