Carlos Corberan taking cautious approach with West Brom squad ahead of busy festive period

The Baggies head coach stressed his squad will struggle to cope with any further fitness setbacks, specifically in attacking areas.

Corberan revealed one of his chief creators John Swift is being assessed day-by-day after a recurrence of his recent calf injury has led to fatigue in other leg muscles.

Asked about being careful with the intensity of training this week, Corberan said: “One hundred per cent (we will take it easy) – everything you do in the training pitch is a risk. Fortunately this year we didn’t suffer any of our injuries in the trainings, because so far every injury has been an in-game injury, muscle or contact.

“We didn’t have any training injuries and I touch wood because this is difficult.

“But we need to keep doing the same, find a good balance between to perform and to reduce the risk, because right now we cannot lose any more players – if we lose someone else, especially at the front of the team where we have less players, then it would be a massive challenge to play four games in a row.”

Albion’s Christmas and New Year schedule is four games in 10 days, book-ended by trips to Middlesbrough this Saturday, and Swansea on January 1.

There are two home fixtures next week as Norwich and Leeds visit The Hawthorns on Boxing Day and Friday, December 29 ,respectively.

Corberan added of Swift: “In the last weeks I am evaluating the situation day-by-day with him. The medical staff tell me if he can train or not, last week it was planned for him to train normally, because we recovered after Rotherham and he didn’t play minutes and he recovered the next day.

“The idea was for him to train normally on Thursday but after he still felt something in the calf, he didn’t train Friday and in training on Saturday he felt something in the hamstring.

“I am managing the situation with him day-by-day because I cannot manage in a different way.

“We need everyone in the best level, to keep the best level in all of the season is a challenge. For me when the players have any type of physical problem it’s difficult for them to reach the normal levels.”

Director of medical Tony Strudwick, the former Manchester United, England and Wales staff member, is responsible for overseeing all operations of the club’s fitness department.

Head coach Corberan sought to take further precaution against fitness issues at the start of this season, when the club appointed Rafa Aranda on a consultancy basis.

Aranda is a lecturer at the University of Valencia, where he taught Corberan, and has a background in football.

As well as Swift, Baggies attackers Matt Phillips and Josh Maja were both recently ruled out for much of the season with surgery required on serious hamstring and ankle injuries.

Striker Daryl Dike has been out for eight months but is nearing a return. Jed Wallace, Grady Diangana and Jeremy Sarmiento have all spent period of the campaign sidelined.