Super Eagles striker Josh Maja could be set to make his return to action, following a seven-month spell on the sidelines when West Bromwich Albion welcome Blackburn Rovers to The Hawthorns for their EFL Championship opener, Footynaija.com reports.
Maja last featured in a competitive game for West Brom at the start of January. The Nigeria international has spent the past months recovering from a calf injury and now appears to be back to full fitness.
Earlier this week, West Brom boss Ryan Mason teased the possibility of having Maja available for his side’s season opener despite his absence from a 3-2 pre-season friendly win over Rayo Vallecano.
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At his pre-match press conference on Friday, Mason went on to confirm that the Super Eagles forward is in contention to make a long awaited return to competitive action but also stressed the need to gently ease him back into the thick of things.
What Ryan Mason said about Josh Maja
“I think I mentioned it a week ago that he’s had a hell of a long time out, and we have to get it right with him,” Mason said in quotes revealed by Express and Star.
“We value him, and we know what he can bring to the table in terms of when he’s fit, but also understanding it’s a really long season, it’s intense, it’s relentless, and we want to make sure that when he’s on the pitch, he stays on the pitch.
“He trained today so he’s available for selection along with plenty of other players, so we’ll assess that after this, and we’ll see going into tomorrow.”
Maja’s imminent return, without doubt comes as a huge boost for the Baggies as they’ll be looking to make a serious push for Premier League promotion this season.
The Nigerian striker was West Brom’s top scorer last season despite his absence for the final five months of the campaign. They’ll certainly be counting on his talents as they look to make their English top-flight dream a reality.
