Foster: West Brom keeper Ben Foster could be sidelined for up to three months with a stress facture in his foot, manager Steve Clarke said. The England international limped off after 77 minutes of his side’s 0-0 draw with Everton on Saturday and will have surgery on his right foot later in the week. “There’s no hiding the fact this is disappointing news as Ben is a key player for us,” Clarke said.

Messi: Lionel Messi has been included in Barcelona’s squad for tonight’s Spanish Super Cup second leg at home to Atletico Madrid after recovering from a thigh problem sustained in last week’s 1-1 first-leg draw. The return of Messi, who missed Sunday’s 1-0 La Liga win at Malaga, raises the prospect of the Argentine and new signing Neymar starting a competitive match to-gether for the first time.

Thauvin: Lille midfielder Florian Thauvin can expect to be docked wages after he failed to report for training yesterday. The 20-year-old appears to be at loggerheads with the club as he continues to be linked with a move to Marseille. Lille president Michel Seydoux said on Monday that he was “99.9 per cent” confident the sought-after player will not leave this summer.

Mbia: QPR midfielder Stephane Mbia has joined Sevilla on a season-long loan. The Cameroon interna-tional, 27, joined the Hoops from Marseille last summer and has made 32 appearances for the En-glish outfit. Mbia has not featured for Rangers so far this season.

Brunt: Chris Brunt has returned from suspension to take his place in a 22-man Northern Ireland squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Luxembourg. The West Brom midfielder missed the side’s 1-0 win over Russia at Windsor Park after picking up two yellow cards in the campaign.

Chu trial: Chinese midfielder Wang Chu is spending this week on trial at ADO Den Haag. The 22-year-old is currently under contract with Luxembourg side Jeunesse d’Esch and has played a starring role in their ongoing Europa League qualifying campaign.