West Brom boss looking forward to striker return - after revealing failed signing attempt

Maja, 26, has been sidelined since early January and has not featured for the Baggies since the 1-1 draw at Swansea on January 4.

The Nigerian underwent surgery on an injury to his lower leg and is currently in rehabilitation. The club had an initial timeframe of six to eight weeks and anticipated a comeback at some point in March.

Mowbray revealed he is yet to speak one-on-one to the striker, who is Albion's top scorer with 12 goals this term, but looks forward to doing so having tried to recruit Maja at former club Blackburn - who the Baggies tackle at home on Wednesday night.

"I think he's in the building today, actually," Mowbray said of Maja. "I haven't sat down with him for a one on one yet, but I do know Josh because we had him in the building at Blackburn Rovers not too many years ago, trying to sign him. It didn't happen, but he's a nice kid.

"I watched some pundits picking their EFL team of the year and he got picked, which shows he's had a really good season. I'm looking forward to working with him really.

"We selected him at Blackburn because we felt he was a player who could help and we have inherited him at this club. I'm looking forward to working with him on the grass and the type of player he is - he likes to come to the ball, technically good but he gets in the box and scores goals.

"We're looking to get him fit but we're not pushing him too hard. He's had an operation so he needs to recover and recuperate. He'll be ready when he's ready. He'll really complement the strikers we've got."

Since Mowbray's return to the club last month the Baggies have significantly bolstered their striking options with the late window loans of Tottenham youngster Will Lankshear and prolific Championship hitman Adam Armstrong.

Daryl Dike is also nearing a return after 12 months out injured having played 30 minutes for the club's under-21s on Monday night.

Mowbray and Albion welcome a Blackburn side in turmoil on Wednesday with boss John Eustace on the verge of departing for lowly Championship rivals Derby.

Albion's head coach spent five-and-a-half years at Ewood Park, the longest stint at any club of his managerial career and oversaw more than 250 games including promotion back to the second tier.

He exited the Lancashire club in May 2022 and joined Sunderland shortly afterwards.

It was at Sunderland where striker Maja made his breakthrough in senior football - but the frontman had already departed the Stadium of Light for a move to French outfit Bordeaux, a switch he made in 2019.

Maja was one of Carlos Corberan's major signings as Albion boss when the one-cap Nigeria international arrived as a free transfer in the summer of 2023.