Irvine using friendly to boost Baggies' fitness

The club have been using the current international break to hold double sessions, in a bid to get their new signings up to speed.

And Irvine is looking at Tuesday's behind-closed-doors game as a chance to give some playing time to those who need it.

"We've got an Under-21 friendly here on Tuesday and I would love to be able to play players in that game who need to play," he told the club's official website.

"Ideally I would want to be including all of them. [Georgios] Samaras and [James] Morrison, it depends on what they get in the international games, the biggest blow for us is if they go away and don't play, because then we have not had them and they have not had the work that the other boys are getting back here.

"It is scheduled as an Under-21 friendly but I think with Hull's five signings on deadline day and us trying to get players bedded in, I would think it will end up being a game for a whole load of players that Steve [Bruce, Hull manager] doesn't know very well and I don't know very well. 

"It's fairly star-studded but they need it, several have not done a pre-season. There's a lot of players who need training and games and also get to need to get to know one other."