TONY Mowbray insists Jay Simpson's eagerness to return to Arsenal at the end of the season will have no bearing on his first-team chances while he remains at Albion.

The 20-year-old striker, who signed a new long-term contract with the Gunners in December, made an impressive start to his Hawthorns spell - scoring once in his first four Barclays Premier League starts.

A hamstring injury in the Baggies' FA Cup fourth-round replay at Burnley in early February halted his progress and he has been in and out of the side ever since.

Despite that the Baggies boss has looked into the possibility of extending his loan into next term.

But from day one Simpson has made no secret of his desire to stick to the original plan and return to the Emirates Stadium to prove himself.

Mowbray said: "Does it make it any more difficult for him? No.

"Like with any player who comes on loan, we're not the parent club.

"You utilise and use loan players as best you can for your club and nothing has changed as far as I am concerned with Jay Simpson.

"It's not just me who has seen the fact that he started very well and looked lively and then picked up an injury.

"I genuinely don't feel he has hit the heights of the first month or so of being with us.

"At this moment in time, because his form isn't where it was, he is not finding himself as a regular starter or playing 90 minutes.

"He is either starting and coming off or starting on the bench.

"He will be judged by nothing other than performance levels.

"If he had been our main striker, looking like scoring every game, he would be playing every game.

"It's not a question of where Jay sees his future, it's a question of needs be at the moment."