Hodgson questions Odemwingie mettle

West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson has revealed his frustration at the continued absence of striker Peter Odemwingie.

A knee injury picked up during a training session is the latest set-back for Odemwingie this season, with his scheduled comeback against Tottenham now thrown into doubt by the Baggies’ medical staff.

Hodgson told the Birmingham Mail: “Peter is difficult to work out – you’d have to speak to the doctor about him.”

“This is still the same problem he’s had for a month.”

“He was supposed to be fit for the Arsenal game but wasn’t. Then he was definitely going to be fit for the Bolton game but wasn’t.”

“And he is supposed to be fit for the Tottenham game (this Saturday) and now there’s a doubt about that, too. So I take any optimism with a pinch of salt.”

“I’m frustrated because we’ve got nothing out of him this year.”

“He didn’t take part in many of the pre-season matches and he hasn’t taken part in many of the matches since then. It’s been one problem after another.”

The former Liverpool manager went on to compare the Nigerian to other players in the squad, seemingly questioning the striker’s commitment to the club.

“For a player who we really put so much into, in the hope that he will be the one who will be our major force for staying in the Premier League, at the moment we have not had much of a return,” Hodgson continued.

“We have a lot of players at the club who will play when not fully fit.”

“That’s what makes it even harder when you get a player who is frustrated or is frustrating as it gets highlighted more when you’ve got the likes of the (Zoltan) Geras, the (Shane) Longs, the (Steven) Reids and the (Jerome) Thomases who play through pain every week.”