Baggies duo in fitness race

Baggies duo in fitness race

Published Oct. 13, 2010 9:15 a.m. ET

Striker Odemwingie picked up a knee injury during the Baggies' draw against Bolton while winger Thomas suffered a calf injury in the previous game against Arsenal. Manager Roberto Di Matteo believes the pair are unlikely to make Saturday's game at Old Trafford. The Italian could now recall Marc-Antoine Fortune, although Roman Bednar and Simon Cox are also options. Speaking about the pair, Di Matteo told the Birmingham Mail: "Peter and Jerome are both struggling for us - they're not training at the moment. "Peter has a problem with his knee. He over-extended it towards the end of our last game against Bolton so it's good we had an international week but he's still not okay. "It was swollen after the game and we'd hoped he'd recover more quickly but the damage was worse than we thought. "He had a scan and it's nothing serious but he needs more time. "At the end of play Tuesday it was still too early to say if they will be okay for the weekend. "If they join us before Thursday then they have a chance. "If they miss the game then we will have to slightly change our game plan on Saturday. "We will see what options are available. "We have 10 players away on international duty so we hope they come back okay. "Graham Dorrans had a problem with his hamstring last week but he should be okay. "The rest are fine, touch wood. I watched the games with my fingers crossed." Meanwhile, forgotten man Ishmael Miller resumed training on Tuesday following his return from a thigh injury and depending on his progress, he may yet be granted a month-long move away from the Hawthorns in an attempt to build up his fitness. The striker's return ends his poor run of luck following his long-standing knee problems of last season. Di Matteo added: "Ishmael Miller rejoined the group on Tuesday for the first-time. "He still needs more time. "And we might even look at the scenario of getting him out for 28 days - it's difficult to say at this stage. "He only just joined us on Tuesday."

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