Conor Townsend: West Bromwich Albion defender on ‘amazing’ return to action after injury

Townsend’s contract at Ipswich expired in the summer but the Suffolk club invited him to participate in pre-season training, an offer he was thankful for as it allowed him to “hit the ground running” when the chance to rejoin Albion arose.

He said returning to The Hawthorns and therefore moving much closer to his family base was “an easy decision to make”, while it also reunited him with Baggies head coach James Morrison – a former team-mate during his first spell with the club.

“We were friends when we played and then he has been a coach here when I was here,” said Townsend of Morrison. “He’s a legend at the club and what he did for the team last year was brilliant.”

Albion put together a 10-match unbeaten run during Morrison’s spell in interim charge, a sequence which moved them away from relegation trouble in the Championship, and he was appointed as full-time boss at the end of April.

Townsend continued: “It’s hard when you’re down the bottom and losing games, but the manager and the players did really well to turn that momentum around.

“By the end of it, it was a lot more positive and it feels like that this season.

“Pre-season has been really positive, the new lads who have come in have hit the ground running, so I feel there is an air of positivity around the place, which is really nice considering the league position last year.

“We need to carry that positivity into the season and use that little bit of momentum for the start of this season.”