West Bromwich Albion are still searching for that elusive first win of the season and they'll have to do it without one of their promising midfielders.

Baggies boss Slaven Bilic revealed on Thursday that defensive lynchpin Sam Field would be absent for the next four to five weeks with a knee injury.

He said:

"A few people were questioning why [he] wasn’t in the squad. He wasn’t in the squad because during the international break he got injured. He’s gonna be out for another four or five weeks, unfortunately. He’s getting better."

Whilst the 22-year-old hasn't featured as much as he'd probably like having made five appearances this season, he is the only true back-up to skipper Jack Livermore in that anchorman role.

He is also very much part of the Croatian's plans too. During the summer, he rejected the notion that the homegrown talent would be sent out on loan once again, claiming: "I told him we need him and that he gives us something we don’t have in a midfielder. That can be very useful for us so I see Sam as a very important member of the squad."

Last season, Albion could have been a much more defensively-sound side with Field playing as he averaged more tackles, clearances, blocks and recoveries per 90 minutes than any other member of the squad whilst at Charlton Athletic, as per The Athletic.

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Unlike many of those names, Field also has experience in the top-flight already having played 19 times prior to this season in the Premier League, thanks to former Baggies boss Tony Pulis.

Speaking to BBC Midlands, via BirminghamLive, back in 2016, Pulis said: "Technically, he's as good and as gifted as any footballer I've seen at that age."

Another ex-Albion chief Darren Moore even touted him to one day become a future captain of the club, adding: "There’s a current crop of youngsters there that I think can play for West Brom for the next decade, I really do. I think young Sam Field can step in and be a captain for this club."

He really deserves to be starting under Bilic, so to have him missing not just for Monday's Brighton game but for the next month or so, is actually a devastating blow.

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