“I’m short of match practice, which I can’t deny, but as soon as I get a few practice games behind me I hope to be ready for the first team, if selected.

‘‘It’s up to the doctors and physios.

“But the Achilles feels fantastic. I have no pain or swelling, so that’s a good thing.

“This is a new start for me.

“You just want to show people what you can do consistently and thaty’s my plan, along with helping the club get promoted.’’

Barnes also feels he owes some gratitude to Blues boss Alex McLeish, who allowed him to train with the Blues first-team recently.

That gesture put Barnes’ name back in circulation.

“Alex McLeish had always liked me as a player so he asked me to go down there, train with them until the end of the window and see where I was at,” added Barnes.

“He did me a big favour. He let me train, got me into a Premier League mentality with the training and sharpness.

“He put that into my mindset so I owe a lot to him.”

Chris Lepkowski blog: What this week has taught West Brom and its fans