While their performance against Tottenham prior to the international break was promising, West Brom fans will need little reminding of this season's struggles. 

A leaky defence and a blunt attack aren't exactly conducive to Premier League survival, after all. 

Despite having the likes of Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira available - who combined for 22 assists in the Championship last season - only Callum Robinson has been able to score more than once in the top tier. 

With that in mind, the situation of another striker at the Hawthorns looks even bleaker according to The Athletic. 

According to their report, there is little chance Charlie Austin will ever play for Slaven Bilic again. 

Despite boasting the best Premier League record in terms of goals in the squad, Austin is thought to have lost some of the 'lean' qualities he previously had in his game in the eyes of the coaching staff. 

He's still thought to be on good terms with the Croatian but desperately short of sharpness and is unlikely to feature in the Premier League under the current regime. 

You'd have to imagine the situation being really bad if Austin can't get into this team. 

While his record of 34 goals in 106 Premier League games isn't the most prolific, the Baggies have the third-lowest xG per game in the division this season with 0.75, so could certainly do with a helping hand in front of goal. 

Though Austin has suffered a number of injuries since leaving QPR, he did act as their focal point during the 2014/15 campaign and managed to score 18 goals in 35 games when the attack was seemingly built around him. 

Clearly, there's no guarantee he'd replicate that but there is precedent there and, to not even attempt to experiment given the dire situation the club are in, his form and fitness must be a major concern.