West Brom: Injured skipper Dara O'Shea to miss Baggies run-in

Dara O’Shea (left) will miss the Championship run-in, while Jayson Molumby faces a four-week lay-off

West Bromwich Albion captain Dara O'Shea is to miss the Championship run-in with a knee injury, while fellow Irishman Jayson Molumby could also miss most of the remainder of the season.

O'Shea suffered his injury 12 minutes from the end of Monday's 1-0 friendly international defeat by France.

Molumby then limped off eight minutes later with a groin problem.

Albion boss Carlos Corberan said O'Shea will be out for the rest of the season and expects Molumby to miss four weeks.

With the regular Championship season scheduled to finish on 7 May, Molumby's best chance of returning to action is if Albion make the play-offs.

As for O'Shea, it is another cruel blow after breaking his ankle in September 2021 playing against Portugal, which kept him out for most of last season.

Albion return to action after the international break onSaturday with a home game against Gary Rowett's Millwall, who are sixth in the Championship table.

Corberan's Baggies are just five points behind them with a game in hand - and, on the plus side, they now have defenders Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley available again after injury.

Action For Albion take latest action

While Albion's season has taken a real upturn since head coach Corberan arrived in late October, their fans remain unhappy with the way the club is being run.

Following the formation in November of a new supporters group, Action For Albion, Baggies fans have stepped up an increasing number of controlled protests at Chinese owner Guochuan Lai.

They have become further concerned about his failure to repay a £5m debt to the club, triggered by a £4.95m loan from Albion to another of Lai's companies, Wisdom Smart Corporation Limited, during the coronavirus pandemic.

An open letter to Lai was delivered to The Hawthorns on Friday, signed by a united front of the official supporters' club, the Albion Former Players Association, the Albion Assembly (the club's internal discussion group made up of key officials and fans), as well as all the club's various supporters' groups.

Action For Albion leader Ali Jones (left) delivered the united Baggies fans' open letter to chairman Guochuan Lai on Friday

Ali Jones also met PM Rishi Sunak accompanied by West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards

"As loyal supporters, we deserve answers," it said. "We have been more than patient, and, whilst acknowledging the impact of the pandemic and more recently the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, we deserve to be told the truth about your intentions.

"Leaving aside breaches of legal deadlines, you have promised, and failed, on three separate occasions to meet your own subsequent promised payment dates to repay the £4.95m you borrowed in March 2021 from the football club plus all interest due.

"Your latest promise of repayment 'early in the new year' has clearly passed.

"The overall picture at the club is extremely worrying. The club is currently owed (including all interest due) an eight-figure sum, including the above loan borrowed on extraordinarily favourable and uncommercial terms. Yet, as a business, we have had no choice but to borrow £20m on commercial terms including a high interest rate (not publicly revealed), for the club to continue to operate.

"This situation cannot continue. As we are sure you are aware, it is extremely difficult to compete as a self-sustaining club in the Championship, without the benefit of parachute payments or owner investment.

"We understand that the ambition remains as promotion to the Premier League for this season and next season, but what happens if this is not achieved? Are you fully committed as majority shareholder to make the club as competitive as possible, whatever scenario is faced?

"We have genuine fears for the future of the club we all love."