Chris Hughton has revealed he is no great hurry to loan out Albion’s young England goalkeeper.
But the door is open for Christian Walton should the right offer come in.
Walton hopes to feature for England under-21s in their European qualifier against Kazakhstan at Coventry today (5.45pm).
The 19-year-old is back to full fitness after a groin problem cut short his stint with League One outfit Bury, who he featured six times for.
Walton could become a target for Crawley Town who were interested in signing him on a season-long loan during the summer before landing Freddie Woodman.
Woodman was recalled by Newcastle United this week due to an injury to Tim Krul leaving Reds with Callum Preston as their only goalkeeper.
But Hughton will bide his time if necessary before sending him out again to gain further experience. The Albion boss said: “Christian is fully recovered and we will make decisions.
“It’s not a massive hurry. If he had an opportunity very quickly to go out, it is one we would assess and, if it was right, of course we would let him go.
“He’s away with England which is a plus and then we will see how he goes.”
Walton appears to be competing with Jordan Pickford, currently on loan to Preston from Sunderland, for a start at the Ricoh Arena.
Joe Wildsmith, the 19-year-old from Sheffield Wednesday, has also been called into the squad to replace injured Aaron Gunn (Manchester City).
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