West Bromwich Albion's assistant manager Keith Downing has insisted that Jerome Thomas could still have a role to play at the club.

The winger's days at The Hawthorns appeared to be numbered when he was sent on loan to Championship side Leeds United in November.

However, Downing has revealed that the 29-year-old was ordered to Elland Road with the instructions to get himself fit.

"The reason Jerome went out was to get games under his belt," Downing told the Birmingham Mail. "[Manager Steve Clarke] found he couldn't give that regularity of games so we wanted him to go out and get some football.

"It's a case of go out and play as much as you can over the Christmas period and prove your fitness. We're not shutting the door at all on Jerome.

"We can't fit him in at the moment, so we want him to go out to play football and get himself fully fit. He's a good, consummate player who works hard at his game and it'll do him well to be at Leeds."

Thomas joined the Baggies from Portsmouth in 2009.