Baggies rule out Clement surgery

The injury-blighted centre-back had feared he needed another operation, this time on his right knee.

The Baggies now hope the injury he suffered against Real Mallorca in pre-season will now heal, without the club's longest-serving player going under the knife.

First team coach Peter Grant said: "Neil is in rehabilitation working hard at the moment. We have a great backroom staff who will look after him and not take any chances with him.

"He is working very hard in the swimming pool as well as here. People ask how long he will be out for but that is a very difficult one to answer.

"It is one of those day-to-day things and we're not going to put a timescale on it."

Grant added that an operation, that was considered last week as an option, is now less likely.

He said: "It's just one of those things we have to monitor. Sometimes you try to let things heal by themselves and then you discover it's quicker to have a tidy-up."

Albion are still hopeful that Abdoulaye Meite will recover from his calf injury in time to face West Ham on Saturday, while Filipe Teixeira is due back at the Baggies' training ground.

He is booked in for fitness tests after being sidelined since March with a cruciate ligament injury. He could start training again in the next couple of days.

Grant said: "Abdoulaye will hopefully take part in training tomorrow. He has been working very hard physically but staying off his calf. Hopefully he will be fully back with us tomorrow.

"Filipe comes back today and hopefully will train with us tomorrow.

"He has done a lot of football work by all accounts. He will be assessed, have all of his fitness tests and hopefully he can start football work with us tomorrow.

"It will be good to have him involved. He is progressing and we are delighted because that will be like another new signing.

"It will be great to get him back and get his fitness up. I am looking forward to working with him, because I like what I saw of him last season."