Tony Pulis offers Jonny Evans no guarantee of first-team spot after returning from injury

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free

Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

West Brom boss Tony Pulis has said there are no guarantees that Jonny Evans will return to the side’s starting XI now he is fully recovered from a hamstring injury.

Evans has yet to feature for the club this season, but played in both of Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying matches this month, scoring in a 2-0 victory against Czech Republic.

In Evans’s absence, West Brom have made an excellent start, claiming seven points from their opening three Premier League games and conceding just one goal.

Albion’s new Egyptian centre-half, Ahmed Hegazy, has made a positive early impression alongside Craig Dawson at the heart of defence.

"[Evans] has got to knuckle down to get back into the team and start showing everyone how good of a player he is again," said Pulis at a press conference on Friday.

Pulis also said that West Brom might have sold Evans for the right price, but revealed that neither Manchester City nor Arsenal were willing to meet the Baggies’ valuation.

“The bottom line is that Man City and Arsenal were interested, they just never met the valuation the football club wanted. If they'd have met the valuation it might have been a different situation” said the 59-year-old.

The Welsh manager did stress his relief at keeping his club captain, however, saying “it was very important we kept him.”

He praised Evans for his mentality, too. “I'm pleased that Jonny stayed. He's a very down-to-earth lad, he's very level-headed. He's been at one of the great clubs in world football for a long time so going to Man City or going to Arsenal would not have fazed him at all. And I don't think the speculation fazed him."

West Brom travel to newly-promoted Brighton on Saturday, who have yet to score a goal. Pulis dismissed the statistic, saying “they will score, I guarantee you that. I just hope it won't be against us”.

He added “[Brighton] have been unfortunate in the couple of games I've watched. They were certainly unfortunate not to beat Watford, having hit the post a couple of times. I know Watford had ten men but Brighton had good opportunities."

Pulis will also decide whether to include new signings Grzegorz Krychowiak and Kieran Gibbs in his squad, with both players short of match fitness at present.

Gareth McAuley is back in training after a thigh injury, but Saturday's game will come too soon for him, while Pulis’s compatriot Hal Robson-Kanu is still suspended after his red card at Burnley on August 19.