West Brom captain Chris Brunt claims to be taking positive strides in his recovery from a hamstring injury.
The midfielder has been sidelined since picking up a knock during the 1-1 derby draw with Aston Villa on September 30.
The international break has come at a good time for him, as he has been able to focus his attention on fitness work without the distraction of domestic fixtures.
A meeting with Manchester City on October 20 may come too soon for Brunt, but he is hoping to get a good run of games behind him heading into the winter schedule.
"I'm not too sure what the overall timescale on the injury is, but it's coming along," he told the Birmingham Mail.
"It wasn't as bad as we thought at first because it felt like a nasty one when I got it at Villa Park, so in that sense it isn't too serious.
"The problem is that it's happened a couple of times now, so this time I want to make absolutely sure it's right before I come back because it's no use to anybody doing two or three weeks at a time and then getting another injury.
"At least with the international break I won't miss so much football, but once we're back and you start the run towards Christmas the games come at you without a break, so I need to be right for this period coming up."
