DOUGIE Freedman is already planning for life after Craig Dawson – but insists it is still a four-way fight for who features in his defence during the season finale.

With the on-loan West Brom defender due to return to the Hawthorns at the end of the month, the question of who will replace him is a hot topic among Wanderers fans.

David Wheater has been given the all-clear to return to training this Thursday, which gives him a fighting chance of facing his former club Middlesbrough next weekend, while Matt Mills and Tim Ream should feature in the squad for this afternoon’s clash with Bristol City and also have a claim.

Zat Knight has been an ever-present since Freedman’s arrival and, in Kevin Davies’s absence, is also in possession of the captain’s armband.

All four players should be available after Dawson’s departure, leaving the manager with a selection dilemma on his hands.

Freedman is not sweating on the issue, however, and feels confident he could play any one of the players into the back four over the coming weeks safe in the knowledge they would know what was required of them, “Matt and Tim have done really well training-wise and David Wheater is knocking on the door, but all the players know the structure, how we play and what their job is,” he said.

“It’s the same all over the pitch and this is how I develop players, why I gave young Sanmi (Odelusi) a run-out last week and why Chris Lester will be in my squad at Bristol City. At the drop of the hat, they know what to do and the information is there for them.

“Eagles can fill in the Chungy role, Medo can do the Pratley role, so I think we’ll be okay when Craig goes because I know I have got some good defenders there.”

Wheater suffered a setback recently when he picked up a calf strain and is not likely to figure in either today’s game at Ashton Gate or Tuesday’s trip to Leicester City.

“I can’t take a risk with him because of his long-term injury, but I’m told he’ll be right for the Middlesbrough game,” Freedman confirmed. “David is really unlucky because he was just about to get the nod after all that time out with the knee injury.

“So hopefully now he’s back fit and fresh, we’ll see on that one.

“He is the last player that I haven’t really seen, so I’m really quite looking forward to seeing what he can give us.”

Dawson will definitely head back after the game at Cardiff in a fortnight, and it remains to be seen whether he will be withdrawn from the starting 11 to allow one of the other defenders time to settle.

Freedman continues to field questions asking whether he will make the England Under-21 international’s signing a priority in the summer.

But the Scot has seen before how a successful loan spell can have an adverse affect on a players’ valuation from their parent club.

“The deal was we have him for three months, I play him as much as I can, and we send him back a better player. We’re on course to do that,” he said.

“I am having a bit of deja-vu because this has happened to me before and I’m very uncomfortable talking about it.

“We had James Vaughan at Crystal Palace and we could have bought him for peanuts but he ended up going to Norwich for £2million.

“Loans aren’t the way I like to do it, if I’m honest, because I do believe in coaching and making someone better.

“To make someone a better player and pay for the privilege doesn’t really sit well with me. But that was the deal at the time.”

Freedman denied that he had discussed a future deal with his opposite number at West Brom, Steve Clarke.

“I don’t know and I’ve not asked the question. It was only one step at a time,” he said.

“I’m sure he will go back to West Brom and be around their first team and if not, play a couple of games for them before the end of the season.”