West Brom have confirmed Mikey Johnston suffered a stress fracture to his ankle in the defeat to Oxford United.
In a statement, West Brom revealed the full extent of the injury is still unknown, with the winger set to meet with a specialist later this week.
The club said: “Albion can confirm winger Mikey Johnston suffered a stress fracture to his ankle during Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship match against Oxford United.
“The Republic of Ireland international sustained the injury in the middle of the opening period at the Kassam Stadium.
“Johnston is due to see a specialist later this week, where he will receive a full prognosis and establish a timescale for his return.
“Everyone at the club wishes Mikey a speedy recovery.”
Mikey Johnston injury return timescale
Stress fractures are small breaks to the bone most commonly seen in the foot.
According to the NHS website, the fracture will need about six weeks to fully heal.
They describe the recovery process: “When you are able to walk on your leg without pain, you should gradually build up your activity over several days. After this you can start low-impact activities, if you have no pain then you can begin to return to high-impact exercises. If the pain returns, you should reduce what you are doing and allow things to settle down again.”
With just 8 weeks until the end of the season, it is almost certain this means Johnston’s season is over. Even with a miraculous recovery, it would mean Johnston returns at too late a stage to make any meaningful impact.
It’s a cruel blow for the Baggies, Johnston has been the team’s brightest attacking spark in recent weeks and he would have played a key role in West Brom’s chances of survival.
In the defeat to Oxford, Johnston recorded the third-highest touches in the opposition’s box despite only being on the pitch for 20 minutes.
On West Brom’s current form, there is a very real chance West Brom face relegation to League One, if that does end up being the case, it is likely Oxford was the last time we would see Johnston play for the club.