Baggies duo unlikely to return this season

West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has all but ruled out returns for midfield pair Zoltan Gera and James Morrison this season.

The duo have both been sidelined by knee injuries, with Gera rupturing a cruciate ligament in November while Morrison damaged his medial ligament last month.

Both had hoped to be back playing before the end of the campaign but, with the Baggies having already secured their place in the top flight for next season, Hodgson sees no reason to take a risk.

He told www.wba.co.uk: “I’m not very optimistic. I would have to be 100% sure I wasn’t endangering their pre-season or next season by putting them back in. We don’t need to.”

Hodgson is, though, hopeful defender Jonas Olsson will have recovered from a groin injury in time to face Liverpool on Sunday but striker Marc-Antoine Fortune is a doubt with a hamstring problem.