When Josh Maja was left out of the squad for the FA Cup trip to Bournemouth, many supporters would have breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally getting some long-earned rest.

For so long this season, he has been the main man and, whilst he has been subbed off many times, he has, quite frankly, just been too good and too important not to play. Plus, the lack of options would have played a part.

It is very rare that he has a bad game or is taken off for tactical reasons. The Coventry one where Carlos Corberan, rightly in the end, preferred John Swift at half time springs to mind. But other than that, he and Karlan Grant are the main contenders for player of the season thus far.

He has featured in all 26 league games this season, scoring 12 and assisting two, nearly half of Albion's combined 32 goals all season by the whole squad.

Maja is not just a goal scorer, though, he is so much more than that. He is also a playmaker and comes deep to start and continue lots of their play off. A closer look at most of Albion’s best play will often feature Maja causing havoc and helping the team out in many different positions.

He is a popular person in the dressing room too after everything he went through injury wise last season and his hat trick on the first day of the season against QPR made everyone smile. He has not looked back ever since hence the rumours around teams interested in him.

As it transpires, Maja was not being rested at the weekend. He is, in fact, injured and requires surgery and will be out for several weeks, severely affecting Albion's play off hopes.

They do still have options although it is far from ideal. Devante Cole could slot straight in meaning no change of personnel in other positions and no need for a change in formation and tactics. After all, it was the reason he was brought in in the summer, to score goals and help the team.

Karlan Grant has been one of the best players this season and could play through the middle.

While the likes of Jed Wallace, Grady Diangana, Mikey Johnston and John Swift could deputise as false nines in a one off game but
Maja is out for a long period of time and it is not their natural preferred position.

The most likely alternative would be a new signing who could fill in while Maja is out and perhaps even play alongside him when he eventually returns.

Although a new striker would probably not be here in time for Stoke this weekend, it will definitely now become the priority position in the January transfer window if it was not already before.

The other elephant in the room, of course, is the manager and what interim man Chris Brunt decides may not be what the new boss, whoever he may be, prefers.

For now, though, Albion just need to take it game by game. They have experience of that having navigated a tricky festive period without a permanent manager and now enter another segment of weekend and midweek games. There is no denying that they will miss Maja in these games, though.