West Bromwich Albion’s survival hopes have suffered a major setback with the news that Daniel Sturridge is set to be out for a month.
No Baggies fan would have been under any illusions that spending £1.5 million on signing Sturridge on loan and paying his £120,000 a week wages was going to be a gamble, but with the deal going through in the final days of the January transfer window and a relegation battle looming, many would have suggested that it was a gamble worth taking.
However, the risk backfired within the first few moments of his third West Brom appearance as he had to be taken off in the opening minutes at Chelsea due to a hamstring injury. And despite the initial assessments suggesting that he was going to be out for two weeks, the Mirror is now suggesting that the problem is worse.
The report suggests that Alan Pardew will not be able to pick the forward for another month. And given that the club already find themselves seven points off safety with 10 games to go, it is entirely possible that the Liverpool-owned forward may return when the club are already doomed.
Unsurprisingly, the news has not been met with a large amount of shock amongst the Baggies supporters. Injuries have plagued Sturridge’s career, and unfortunately for the West Brom fans, they have become used to things going wrong for them this season.
There is a sad sense of resignation and inevitability about Sturridge’s latest setback, and it appears that it may surprise the club’s fans more if he does play for Pardew’s side again before the season comes to a conclusion.
Here is what the West Brom fans made of the reports…
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