West Brom duo closing in on returns ahead of schedule

Defender Kelly, 33, injured his anterior cruciate ligament while on his debut for loan club Wigan in early February but could return to contention within six months.

The former Liverpool and Crystal Palace man was a free transfer recruit on deadline day last September as former boss Steve Bruce looked to boost his backline.

Kelly, a right-back capable of playing at centre-half, penned a two-year deal at The Hawthorns and made seven appearances before he found himself surplus to requirements and was allowed by Carlos Corberan to leave on loan to Championship rivals Wigan late on in January.

But the pair could be back in Albion colours next month as the start of the league campaign looms.

“The same (as Diangana) goes for Martin Kelly, who should be back soon – he’s on the grass with the sports science team and we want him integrated back in in August,” Albion director of medical Tony Strudwick said of Kelly, who had struggled with injuries at Palace prior to his Black Country switch.

“Martin was very deliberate in how he wanted to push it forward.

“He’s gone away and he’s come back in a really good space. The three of them (with Dike), I’m really proud of the effort they’re putting in.”

Strudwick, who oversees the club’s medical and physical departments, added of Diangana, who is understood to have interest this summer: “Back to Grady, his surgery went well, really successful. There were several stages to his rehabilitation process.

“He’s back on the grass now, he’s going to be integrated back in, in the next two to three weeks.

“That’s a real positive. He wants to get back as quickly as he can, and he’ll be pushing for that return – it’s in line with our expectations, but possibly even a bit better.”

Corberan recently praised Diangana for dedicating his summer break to progressing in his rehab. It is understood any interest from Championship rivals in the winger could hang on the 25-year-old proving his fitness.

Striker Daryl Dike, meanwhile, was confirmed by Strudwick to be on track for a late 2023 return from his ruptured Achilles.

“The plan was to get Daryl back around November, December time,” said Strudwick, who is also involved with the Welsh national team and previously worked for England and Manchester United.

“He’s progressing well, his operation went really well. He went to the States. He’s back in, his attitude and application has been fantastic. The effort the players are putting in is what you’d expect.”

Albion’s fortunes with injuries were mixed. A run until the new year saw very much key members of the first-team squad absent through serious setbacks, but a number of injuries from January onwards played a big part in Corberan’s side struggling to maintain a play-off push.

“It wasn’t necessarily the number of injuries,” Strudwick reflected. “The actual number was below average, it was the severity of the injuries – and the nature of the players we lost.

“Grady, Daryl, Matty Phillips, Adam Reach...you’re coasting and in a rhythm, then all of a sudden it’s a domino effect, and it had an impact on how we finished the season.

"Grady’s was a contact injury. Daryl’s was a bit of a freak injury which it atypical in football. The Championship is one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world.

“It’s diverse – you’ll play some teams where you know physically it’s going to be a massive challenge – going down to Millwall, places where you know there is an emphasis on work-rate.

“Carlos’ unique selling point is that he wants his teams to compete week in, week out. With that comes a level of intensity in training, but also of course in games.

“With that, comes an element of risk – you want to push them as hard as they can to prepare for them for the intense league, but sometimes injuries will come with that.

“We had to keep pushing, because the rewards were so high. It’s a double-whammy effect, but by the same token, rest assured that we have a great staff, a great coaching staff and medical and sports staff who want the best for West Brom.”