West Bromwich Albion boss Steve Clarke has hopes Nicolas Anelka will return after being granted compassionate leave over the death of his agent.

Clarke clarified the situation at his Friday morning press conference.

"Obviously Nicolas lost a close friend and an agent over the weekend - he died suddenly," he said.

"I had a very brief chat with him, and he wasn't in a good place. So the club have decided just to give him a bit of time to go away and think about it and get himself in a better place for the future.

"Really, that is as much as there is to tell on the situation. It wasn't dramatic, there was no big bust-up, he didn't storm out of the training ground. It is just a boy who is really quite upset."