Paddy McNair's West Brom timeline confirmed with availability hinted

McNair is due to return to training this week after the best part of two months sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered on October 26.

His half-season stint at the Baggies is from a new parent club, San Diego FC, who are a new Major League Soccer franchise for the 2025 season in the United States. He joined the California club in the summer after six years at Middlesbrough.

The experienced Northern Ireland international, 29, has played just three games for Carlos Corberan's side - just one in the league, the stalemate at Blackburn in October. His second league appearance against Cardiff lasted just four minutes before a hamstring injury forced him out.

Now Corberan has confirmed the former Manchester United, Sunderland and Boro stopper will leave The Hawthorns on New Year's Eve, with just three fixtures left before that expiration.

Corberan previously put a date of December 20 on McNair's return but would not rule out the versatile defender's possible involvement in Sunday's home clash against Bristol City in the Championship.

"Yes, (within a week), that's the plan," Corberan said of McNair's return to training.

"His (loan expiration) date is the 31st, he needs to be out by January 1 and I think he's travelling January 2 or something like this. But the loan is the 31st, so he cannot play on the 1st."

Asked about McNair targeting Boxing Day at Derby for potential involvement the head coach replied: "Even before - I don't know, let's see how he progresses and how the team progresses. Let's see."

McNair made his Baggies bow in the disappointing EFL Cup first round exit at League Two Fleetwood in August in which Corberan made a full 11 changes to his troops.

The 73-cap international then had to wait until late October for a league debut as injuries to fellow defenders Kyle Bartley and Mason Holgate opened the door in Albion's backline.

He performed admirably at Ewood Park to help his side keep a clean sheet against Rovers and could have been in line for a run in the side but for pulling up shortly into the home clash against Cardiff, another goalless draw, a few days later.

McNair is one of four loan players at The Hawthorns as it stands this season.

Midfielder Uros Racic, who has started eight league games and been a substitute in nine more, is another as well as attacker Lewis Dobbin from Villa. Defender Holgate, in his second spell at the club, has been a regular in the side of late.

Dobbin's minutes have been few and far between with just a solitary league start and the likelihood is Albion could opt to look elsewhere in the loan market in January.