Grady Diangana returns to West Brom training as David Moyes' plans are outlined

Moyes wants to lower the average age of his West Ham squad and sees Diangana as a key player - he'll finish the current season with Albion, though

Grady Diangana is back in training with his West Brom teammates as usual after clubs in the EFL returned to group training this week.

Having been tested for coronavirus, with all results negative, the Albion players and staff are keeping to groups of four or five, all the while socially distancing from the remainder of the squad; for Diangana it’s no different.

The first half of 2020 has been miserable on a personal level for the West Ham loanee; Diangana, returning from a hamstring injury in January, suffered an almost immediate set-back in the defeat to Stoke City - his first start since December.

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By the time he’d worked his way back to fitness, the coronavirus pandemic forced the halting of the season and the winger has been maintaining his own fitness levels at home.

It’s understood that Albion will have Diangana at their disposal for the remainder of the league season, should the footballing authorities deem it safe to return to action at any point in the coming weeks.

Albion enjoyed the fruits of Diangana’s talents in the first half of the season; at times he was a joy to behold, his pace and trickery terrifying defenders and thrilling fans.

Injury just before Christmas, and the significant setback that followed on the other side of the festive period, put paid to almost an entire half season for Diangana, who had earned under 21 recognition on the international stage because of his displays under Slaven Bilic.

Just as he closed in on a return, the coronavirus outbreak forced the suspension of the league calendar and he and Albion await the opportunity to conclude their campaign - one they hope will see the securing of promotion.

Diangana returns to find extra competition for places; Callum Robinson and Filip Krovinovic have found their way into Bilic’s starting line-up in the months of February and March and either will be difficult to dislodge.

While Diangana’s immediate future and inclusion in the Albion squad in these final few matches look assured, his long-term plans are a little foggier.

The noises coming from parent club West Ham are that boss David Moyes has plans to integrate Diangana into his squad next term, having permitted the 22-year-old to remain at The Hawthorns when having the option of recalling him in January.

Diangana has proven he can cut it at the top of the Championship and, along with one or two other young loan rangers who have made an impression elsewhere, it would seem that Moyes is seeking to blood the club’s youth.

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The idea of a second loan spell or even a permanent deal for Diangana has been mooted previously, and while the former cannot be ruled out, the Baggies’ hopes of capturing the youngster on a permanent basis remain extremely slim amid Moyes’ plans.

Much, of course, would depend on the divisions that Albion and West Ham respectively find themselves in next term - Diangana does, after all, have a contract at the London Stadium until the summer of 2025 and the club will be in no rush to sell, irrespective of which league they’re in.

Moyes, who has a contract in the capital until at least the summer of 2021, is determined to bring down the average age of his inherited squad and is looking to do so from within the club’s ranks.