Dawson hopeful of West Brom return by Christmas

(Reuters) - West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson is confident he can recover from injury earlier than scheduled and return to action during the Premier League club's packed Christmas schedule.

The 27-year-old suffered a thigh and knee issues during the team's 1-0 loss to Southampton last month and club officials said Dawson would be out for at least eight weeks but the centre-back is plotting a quick return.

"The doctor has told me eight weeks but I am hoping I can maybe shave some time off that -- although I realise the dangers of rushing a recovery," Dawson told the club's website. (www.wba.co.uk)

"But the Christmas programme is really busy as everyone knows, and it would be great to be back in contention at that point."

West Brom's 3-2 loss to league leaders Manchester City last weekend dropped them to 15th in the standings and they travel 13th-placed Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)