West Brom will be without key defender Kyle Bartley for Norwich City's visit this weekend.

The 33-year-old resumed training during the international break after sustaining a knee injury in the Baggies' 1-1 draw with Oxford, but isn't considered match-fit by head coach Carlos Corberan heading into the game.

He expects Bartley to be ready in time for a clash with Preston next week, if not the trip to Sunderland four days earlier, but says Johannes Hoff Thorup's side won't face him at the Hawthorns.


"He is close," revealed Corberan, asked about the centre-back. "He is very close. He has been working with the team and [today] he will do part of it too. Let’s see. Normally he should be ready for Preston, the third game we are going to play this week, so he is not going to be ready for this weekend.

"The target is to be ready for next weekend. I am very happy with how I saw him. If he completes the training on Sunday and Monday completely with the group, it is a possibility for Tuesday. 

"But the target was the weekend, not during the week. One thing is the target, and another is his reaction. For me the most important thing is that when he comes back with the group he stays with the group, not that he comes back and moves out again."

Corberan will also be without former Middlesbrough and Manchester United man Paddy McNair, as well as once-Norwich triallist Semi Ajayi and physical striker Daryle Dike.

He'll have summer signing Gianluca Frabotta available though, after he recovered from the issue that kept him out of West Brom's 2-1 win over Hull before the break.

"He has been training during the international break," the Spaniard continued of Frabotta. "The normal training sessions.

"So it is true that he is one player we have had, and if he is okay in training [today] then he will be in the squad. Deago Nelson was the player from the under-21s who was involved instead of him (against Hull)."