Chris Hughton admits Albion have missed Jose Izquierdo's goals and pace as he continues his painstaking recovery from knee trouble.

The left-winger did not feature until the end of September and has been out since early December after returning from the World Cup with Colombia with the injury and suffering a recurrence of the same problem.

Izquierdo finished third top scorer last season with five goals. He also gave Albion an X-Factor going forward after a £13 million move from FC Brugge in Belgium.

Hughton told The Argus: "It's fair to say we've missed him. I'm really pleased with (Jurgen) Locadia. It's been a good opportunity for him and he's got a couple of goals.

"He (Izquierdo) does give us goals and particularly this being his second season you would like to think he will have gained more experience from last year and been more of an integral part.

"We've missed his goals and we've probably missed his pace as well."

There is no specified date for Izquierdo's return. Hughton said: "We are hoping he is going to be training with us next week. He is doing some good work at the moment.

The Argus: "All we are doing is making sure we follow a correct pathway. Sometimes with particular injuries if you bring them back too early they are going to be out for a longer period.

"In his recovery everything has gone well. He hasn't had any setbacks, but we have been told to take it slower."

Only the bottom five and Crystal Palace have scored fewer goals than Albion's tally of 25, while tonight's hosts Fulham have the worst defensive record with 51 conceded in 23 games.