West Brom vice-captain makes progress as Daryl Dike plan hinted

Influential defender Bartley, 33, has missed four games with a calf injury and was last involved in the New Year's Day victory over Preston.

New head coach Mowbray expects the vice-captain to return to training on Monday with a potential return to contention for the fixture at Plymouth on Saturday week.

In his pre-Portsmouth press conference on Friday morning, Mowbray also confirmed striker Dike - who has been out for almost a year - is doing well in training with medical chiefs managing his load for the next week or two.

It is understood Albion leading goalscorer Josh Maja has undergone surgery on the lower leg injury that has ruled him out since the draw at Swansea on January 4.

On Bartley, Mowbray said: "I spoke to him yesterday and he's training on Monday. He might need a week's training.

"If he's in on Monday, let's see how he feels after a week's training. Hopefully we get a clean sheet tomorrow and we don't need to throw him straight back in."

Torbjorn Heggem and Mason Holgate has been the preferred centre-back pairing of Albion's caretaker team and Mowbray in the absence of Bartley.

"He's on the grass," Mowbray said of striker Dike, who suffered a hamstring setback in October after his long Achilles rehabilitation. " The sports science department still pull him out of sessions when they think he's done enough.

"They all have these monitors and when he hits a certain number, his session is finished.

"Any more might put him in jeopardy. He gets a bit frustrated because he wants to keep going, but the bottom line is I bow to the scientists, really.

"This week this is your load, next week we'll increase it and then the week after, you're free to go and you have to get in the team.

"There is a plan for what he needs to do at the moment, which is a bit frustrating for him because he is thinking he wants to get out there and train like everybody else. Of course, we don't want him to break down.

"He scored a great goal against Sunderland, I remember, when I was there and (Jed) Wallace whipped in a great cross. I remember the threat that he posed. Any coach wants all of their players fit but the reality is you never get them all fit. There are one or two carrying knocks."