Manager Mowbray said: "John has worked extremely hard in training. He has come back with the bit between his teeth and hopefully he is going to have a go this season and will have a part to play for us, but John has got to keep pushing and keep working extremely hard."
Meanwhile, Mowbray is hoping midfielder Felipe Teixeira of Portuguese side Academia will join Albion on their two-game tour of Croatia and Slovenia which begins Friday.