With an enforced World Cup break now coming at the worst possible time for high-flying West Bromwich Albion, they will now be stuck waiting nearly a month until their Championship season resumes with a trip to Sunderland.

It has been a tumultuous campaign thus far, with Steve Bruce having seen his reign come crashing to an end as his side was left adrift in the relegation zone.

However, under the new leadership of Carlos Corberan, there has been a huge turnaround. The Baggies had won all of their last three matches without conceding, delighting fans as their side finally found a solution to their plight.

One player who has massively contributed to this turnaround is Kyle Bartley, with the stalwart of a centre-back having scored two in his last two games and defended staunchly throughout.

He stands as proof that his age will make him a fine asset at the Hawthorns, as Semi Ajayi will hope to echo upon his return from injury.

It was said in the middle of September that following surgery to his ankle he would be out of action for up to eight weeks. When their trip to Wearside comes back around, calling an end to this rest period, the 29-year-old could finally be back in contention.

Having moved to the Hawthorns in a £1.5m deal, Ajayi had played every minute of their season before being struck down. In total, he has featured 117 times for West Brom.

His performances have been so consistent that he has been linked with moves away from the Midlands. Kevin Phillips sang his praises earlier this year when those rumours intensified, dubbing him: “a big, powerful centre-half with leadership qualities.”

Ajayi’s solidity has led to an unsurprising surge in his value, which peaked only last year when he hit €6m (£5.2m) in June of 2021.

That marks a sensational 246% increase from when he first signed for the £13k-per-week titan.

It marks yet another player who West Brom have struck gold on in recent years, and now under the guidance of Corberan, there will likely be plenty more to rise up to earn the club added acclaim.