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Brunt relishing competition

Image: Chris Brunt: Ready to fight for spot in midfield after injury lay-off

West Brom captain Chris Brunt believes the competition for places in the Baggies' midfield can only mean good things for the club.

Skipper ready to fight for place after injury lay-off

West Brom captain Chris Brunt believes the competition for places in the Baggies' midfield can only mean good things for the club this season. Brunt returned from a fractured ankle to start last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Manchester United, which ended a run of three straight wins for Albion. The skipper hopes he has done enough to keep his place for Saturday's trip to Wigan but admits the competition is tough.

Competition

"When everybody is fit, there is a real competition for places here," he told West Brom's official website. "Adding Keith Andrews to the mix in January, with all of his experience, has been great for us. "We're all pulling in the same direction and everyone wants to be involved. But we can only pick so many midfield players. "It means that if you want to be in the team, you have to do well in training, and do as much as you can during games. "But it's Premier League football, so we expect competition." Brunt could have been out for 10 weeks after fracturing his ankle during the Baggies' New Year's Day clash with Everton and the 27-year-old was delighted to return ahead of schedule. "It was nice to be back involved at Old Trafford," he added. "Even though the result didn't go our way, I felt reasonably fit. Hopefully, that's a decent sign. "It's the longest lay-off I've had, so it's been frustrating, but the medical staff shaved a couple of weeks off what might have been an even longer absence. They've been great." Brunt is keen to see the Baggies stage an immediate response to last weekend's defeat but admits it could be tough against rock-bottom Wigan, who will be desperate for points.
Tough
He said: "It's important that we try to make up for last week's disappointment and we're more than capable of going there and getting a result. "But Wigan are down at the bottom fighting for their lives so it's going to be a tough game. "The more points we accumulate now, the better our chances are of finishing higher up the table and doing better than we did last season."

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