West Brom have been without the experienced Matt Phillips since he came off in the defeat to Leicester City in December with a hamstring injury.

It was a blow for Albion with the winger ruled out for around four months.

He underwent surgery his hamstring tear and last month fans were buoyed by the news Phillips was ahead of schedule in his recovery.

In early February, Carlos Corberan provided an update and said: “A player who is a more long-term injury but is progressing well is Matty Phillips.

“I don’t know when, but we expect he can be training with the group before we were thinking, so before the end of the season if he continues his progress.

“We don’t know (specifically) when, so it is not good to plan. Long-term injuries, even if they are progressing well, you cannot plan because it puts a level of pressure on them and the medical staff that they cannot commit to.”

And now that return to training has materialised – with Phillips taking part in first team training on Wednesday.

It wasn’t just a big boost for Corberan but a huge welcome for the player himself – as it came on the same day as his 33rd birthday.

GET MORE NEWS HERE