SLOVAKIAN defender Stanislav Varga will link up with former teammate Danny Dichio after West Brom agreed to take the Sunderland centre-half on loan until the end of the season.

Varga joined the Black Cats for £800,000 in 2000 from Slovan Bratislava, and he started his Wearside career impressively before a series of injuries struck.

According to West Brom's website the club have filed for a work permit and hope to have the paperwork tied up in the next few days.

The Slovakia international, 29, has suffered this season again with injuries and a loss of form, and has been in and out of Peter Reid's starting XI. The move comes just four months after the Baggies took centre-forward Dichio from the Stadium of Light in a £1.25m deal.

Meanwhile competition is hotting up for the two central midfield positions in Saturday's crucial home game against Southampton as Jason McAteer and Claudio Reyna line up for first team returns. They will join Gavin McCann, Stefan Schwarz and the up-and-coming Paul Thirlwell for the key roles in the heart of the Wearsiders' engine-room.

McAteer, who missed the 4-0 hammering at Chelsea through a one-match suspension, admits that he is hoping to play in his favourite role in central midfield - and he could well get the nod from manager Peter Reid as he switches from a 4-5-1 formation to his normal 4-4-2 line-up at the Stadium of Light.

McAteer scored the match-winning goal to cap a man of the match performance in Sunderland's last home game against Bolton Wanderers and Reid has made no secret of his admiration for the player he bought for a bargain £1m from Blackburn Rovers.

Reid said: "It was a real blow to lose Jason McAteer for the Chelsea match because he had been absolutely outstanding in the centre of the park for us in the previous four games - I think he was consistently our best player.

"He was convincing and when that happens it if very difficult to leave a player out.

"Anyone who has watched Jason will know he can play on the right But I used to watch him a lot during his younger days at Bolton and he did terrifically well playing in the middle back then - now he has proved he can still play there."

But Reid has also got to consider the returns, after injury, of McCann and Thirlwell. He said: "They are looking really hungry and they want to make up for lost time."

McAteer knows that competition will be fierce and said: "Obviously I will play anywhere the gaffer wants me to, but central midfield is my favourite position. I loved being back in there again."

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