Clement suffers major injury blow

Albion's longest serving player, Neil Clement, faces another prolonged period on the sidelines after undergoing a knee operation on Wednesday. The former Chelsea man suffered the injury in his right knee during the Baggies' final pre-season game against Real Mallorca at The Hawthorns after only returning at the end of the last season due to a similar complaint in previous campaigns.

It was hoped that the injury would naturally heal after visiting various specialists however Albion's medical staff advised an operation to cure the problem. 'Clem' will now undergo a familiar tale of rehabilitation and is due to be out until the New Year.

"Neil had an operation yesterday (Wednesday) on his knee, which will put him out for quite a while," Tony Mowbray said.

"I won't sit here and tell you how many months exactly.

"I would suggest it will be the New Year, although I would not like to set that in stone because I am not a medical person.

"But it was decided yesterday that surgery was the best option and it will be a few months at least before he is back playing.

"You feel sympathy because Neil worked so hard to get back.

"I'm not sure whether he over-did things in pre-season or whether the hard grounds at that time affected him.

"But it is not the same knee as before.

"It is not a recurring injury and we wish him a speedy recovery."

Baggies fans will be fearing the worst for Clement's Albion career coffin after being dogged by various knee complaints in the last few seasons. However, Mowbray has revealed the defender's mental strength will help see him return to full fitness.

He added: "Of course we are disappointed for him but Neil has been through this sort of thing before and I'm sure he will come back again.

"Obviously the day after the operation he will be feeling pretty low, but once you get back into the gym and amongst the players, you have got to have the focus.

"I'm sure that Neil will have that focus in terms of picking a date for when he is going to get fit and ready to start playing again."