Tottenham midfielder told awkward situation has led to his exile from first-team

West Brom assistant manager Dave Kemp admits the club have simply not been able to hand first-team opportunities to Alex Pritchard since his arrival on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

Pritchard, 22, has made just three appearances for the Baggies since arriving on January transfer deadline day, all of which have seen him come off the substitutes' bench.

The England Under-21 international left White Hart Lane for first-team opportunities having spent most of the first-half of the season in the treatment room with an ankle injury.

Kemp insists West Brom have been impressed with what they have seen from Prichard, but admits the circumstances just haven't been right for him to come into Tony Pulis' plans on a regular basis.

"You go on and the team is playing well, it is much easier," Kemp was quoted as saying by the Birmingham Mail. "He is a good footballer, no question about that. It is awkward when everybody else is playing poorly, it is not easy."

Pritchard played the final 17 minutes of the club's last league game against Norwich City, but was unable to prevent the Canaries leaving with a valuable 1-0 win.

"It gave him an opportunity, but on the day it was difficult," Kemp said of Pritchard's performance against Alex Neil's side.

"It wasn't the best stage for him because the team's not playing well, it makes it awkward for him."

While Pritchard's loan spell at the Hawthorns has been uneventful, it could play a key role in a major transfer between the two clubs during the summer transfer window.

Tottenham failed with four separate bids to sign Saido Berahino during the summer transfer window. The negotiations between West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace and his Spurs counterpart Daniel Levy ended on a rather bitter note, but The Sunday People reported in February a truce had been met between the two partied, aided by Prtichard's loan move.