Semi Ajayi set for West Brom return after concerning international ordeal

The central defender, a regular for Carlos Corberan so far this term, and his Nigerian team-mates and staff were held in an airport in Libya for more than 12 hours without some basic amenities before they boycotted their fixture in the nation.

Ajayi, as well as Baggies defensive colleagues Mason Holgate and Paddy McNair who represented Jamaica and Northern Ireland respectively, heads back at the club’s training base with two days’ preparation for Albion’s Championship return at Oxford on Saturday lunchtime.

Corberan confirmed the club were in contact with Ajayi throughout the tricky international ordeal and is not concerned about just two days of training ahead of a trip to face the newly-promoted Yellows.

“The club was in contact,” Corberan said. “It was not easy, we have to adapt to the situation.

“It is true that he didn’t have the minutes that normally he usually is getting when travelling but at the same time he was having minutes before he went.

“It has been a strange situation but something that is totally out of our control. What we can do is to adapt and find the best way to help him to recover and make him ready for the game. That is what we can control.

“I think it is enough, Thursday and Friday, because it is not the first time I have done this with the players. It’s different preparation.

“You would like to have the players always during the week but when they go with their national team always they have these challenges and we need to adapt to them.”

The head coach added: “There is a reason why the players go with their national team because they are good players in their country and this is an important thing too. Paddy for example has played two 90 minutes for his country and for me this is an amazing thing for us.

“Because for us he was not playing so for me it is more positive, the game time. Semi didn’t play but he was playing minutes in a row (for us) so probably this small rest is not going to be negative for him.”

Ajayi, a regular for Nigeria, played just a cameo role in his nation’s home victory over Libya on Friday before the airport delay.

New Norway cap Torbjorn Heggem and Republic of Ireland duo Jayson Molumby and Mikey Johnston have already checked into Albion this week due to an earlier national schedule.

Corberan added: “In general the players that weren’t involved with their national teams have came back from the break that we gave to them with a lot of desire to work. Always this is positive.

“We have received right now only three players from their national teams Torbjorn Heggem, Mikey Johnston and Jayson Molumby because they finished their games Sunday. Thursday we will start to work with Semi Ajayi and Paddy McNair and Mason Holgate.”