VICENTE’S Albion comeback is creeping ever closer – but he should already have played.

The Spanish playmaker is in the squad again for the game at Birmingham tomorrow after returning from five months out with thigh trouble as an unused substitute in last Saturday’s 2-1 win against Derby at The Amex.

Vicente was primed for a cameo role if fellow countryman Andrea Orlandi had converted a glaring opportunity to score his second goal of the game and put Albion 3-0 up in the second half.

Manager Gus Poyet said: “He has trained all week. I said to Andrea if he had scored the third goal when he had that chance in the second half Vicente would have played for 25 minutes.

“Then they scored, it became a little bit of a tricky situation and I didn’t think it was the right moment to play him, because we need to control the game for Vicente to be important and we were not in control.

“Just to put him on to defend I don’t think is the idea. I am sure there is going to be a time when we play him, either from the beginning giving him an hour or making sure he can play 45 or 30 minutes.”