Slaven Bilic praises Gareth Barry as he closes in on West Brom return

Barry, who has made more Premier League appearances than any other player, is expected to sign a deal until the end of the season today.

The 38-year-old was released by the Baggies at the end of last season after suffering a knee injury which required surgery.

But he stayed with the club to complete his rehabilitation – with Bilic then confirming he wanted to re-sign the midfielder.

Last week, though, the deal hit a snag when it emerged the Baggies were locked in a financial dispute with Everton.

Barry moved to The Hawthorns in a deal that saw Albion pay the Toffees a fee every time he played – with the total fee capped at £1.5million.

Despite making 55 appearances, that figure was never reached, with Everton insisting the payments had to continue. Now, though, the two clubs have reached an agreement, much to the delight of Bilic.

“Gareth’s career has been incredible,” Bilic said.

“His desire – words are not necessary.

“When he got injured it would have been easy to call it a day.

“To work hard in a gym that’s very very boring. You don’t play five-a-side in a gym, you work really hard and then there’s still a big question mark ‘is it going to work out?’ It wasn’t guaranteed.

“For him to go through all that, it speaks volumes and shows how professional he is and how hungry he still is.

“He’s a great example and the best role model for all the young kids – especially all those young kids who think it’s all going to come quickly and without any effort.

“You have those kids at every club.”

Bilic says he expects Barry to be involved in the first-team once he has played a couple of games for the under 23s.

“He’s been there before in big games, has massive experience, massive quality and that’s why we want him to sign as soon as possible,” the boss added.

“He’s close. He had an operation on his knee and he worked really hard.

“To cut a long story short he’s been training with us and he looks good.

“He has to play two or three games, but not eight or 10 for the under-23s to get that sharpness.

“There are no short-cuts for sharpness. Everybody needs those games for sharpness.”