West Bromwich vs Sunderland preview - Ridgewell hopes Foster move can be permanent

Defender Liam Ridgewell wants West Brom to try and make goalkeeper Ben Foster's loan move from Birmingham permanent.

Ridgewell has first-hand knowledge of Foster's qualities from their spell together at Birmingham.

The former Manchester United player helped Blues win the Carling Cup 12 months ago before making the temporary switch to the Hawthorns last summer on a season-long loan.

But Ridgewell, who moved to the Baggies from St Andrew's last month for an undisclosed fee, hopes it can become a long-term deal.

Ridgewell said: "I hope Albion do pursue it. For us to push forward we need some top quality players and Ben is certainly one of those.

"Transfer policy is nothing to do with me but Ben is a good keeper and it would be good to have him permanently.

"Even at Birmingham, Ben was a fantastic keeper. He is quality and it's a pleasure to play in front of him.

"He is up there with the best. We had Joe Hart at Blues before Ben and the two are not dissimilar in their stature, the way they play."

West Brom have received a fitness boost ahead of Saturday's home clash with Sunderland with skipper Chris Brunt back in training for the first time since suffering a fractured ankle on New Year's Day.

Head coach Roy Hodgson believes Brunt could be available for next weekend's encounter with crisis club Chelsea at the Hawthorns.

Hodgson said: "Chris Brunt has only trained twice and has only really trained once with the team, which was Friday.

"There was never really any chance of Chris Brunt being considered for this game.

"But he's certainly well within his schedule and the prognosis the medical people set, so that is a positive. Yes, he might have a chance for the Chelsea game.

"Once he gets back into training, trains fully for a week and has no reaction to the ankle that was operated on, then there is no reason he shouldn't be considered."

Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill will have no qualms about sending striker Fraizer Campbell away on England duty despite his recent injury nightmare.

Indeed, the Ulsterman will wave the 24-year-old off under orders to make the most of his dream call-up just weeks after his return from an 18-month lay-off.

Campbell will join up with caretaker manager Stuart Pearce's squad for next Wednesday night's friendly clash with Holland after the Black Cats' Barclays Premier League trip to West Brom tomorrow, and while O'Neill will be keeping his fingers crossed that he, like all the club's international players, returns unscathed, he will have no particular concerns.

He said: "If he is okay and he is well within himself at the moment, then why not avail yourself of this opportunity?

"It's a chance for him, it's a chance that he wouldn't have expected. It's a chance that he wouldn't have dreamt about five or six or seven weeks ago.

"From that viewpoint while it's there, I don't think he could go back and say to them, 'I'll not take this opportunity'.

"Go for it, go and enjoy it. If you get on the field of play, that's a massive bonus, but just being around quality players in the England set-up, he couldn't ask for a bigger boost.

"Stuart Pearce is well aware of his injury history and just for him to be around the squad is great.

"If he gets on the field, it will be fantastic. I wouldn't expect too much, and I am sure that Fraizer wouldn't be expecting too much.

"Just to have a couple of days there, a different environment being involved with the squad, it's a massive boost for him, a really, really big boost.

"Knowing Fraizer, he will treat it in the right way too."

Sunderland head for the Hawthorns having dumped Arsenal out of the FA Cup last weekend to extend their run to just three defeats in O'Neill's 15 games to date.

Striker Nicklas Bendtner could figure wearing a protective facial mask after missing out against his parent club under the terms of his loan agreement, although O'Neill will be taking nothing for granted against a side which routed derby rivals Wolves 5-1 on their own pitch last time out.

He said: "While their home form maybe needs attending, the truth is that they are going into the game on an absolute high."