'JONNO' gave the Baggies a major shot in the arm by penning a new three-year contract, plus a further year's option in the club's favour, in August 2007.

He picked up as if he'd never been away from the Barclays Premier League last term and an ever-present record was only blemished by the first serious injury of his career.

The Baggies skipper was forced to miss five weeks of the season with medial ligament damage and his absence was felt by the team as they picked up just one point in games against Manchester United, Hull, Newcastle and Fulham in January and February.

He notched twice - his first-ever Premier League goals for the club - with both goals coming in draws with Portsmouth.

Greening started 2007/08 as captain after cementing a regular starting place in central midfield under new boss Tony Mowbray during the previous campaign.

Despite playing the last two months of the season with a double hernia problem, he was the only Baggies player to start every league game en route to promotion and led the team out at Wembley for the narrow 1-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat by Portsmouth.

The Albion skipper finally went under the surgeon's knife for the problem at the end of the season but returned on time to start pre-season training with his team-mates.

Greening joined Albion from Middlesbrough for an initial £1.25million in July 2004 and has been a consistent performer since.

After helping the Baggies pull off the Great Escape in 2004/05, he scooped the Player-of-the-Year award the following term after reaching consistently high levels and starting all-but-one of the club's Barclays Premiership fixtures.

Greening played the majority of the season on the left wing and finally broke his goal duck for Albion with the opener in a 2-1 defeat by Wigan at The Hawthorns in September 2005.

Earlier in his career, Greening spent more than three years under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, making 27 appearances for the Red Devils, following a £1m move from York in March 1998.

He then became one of Steve McClaren's first signings for Middlesbrough when he followed the current England head coach from Old Trafford to the Riverside in a £2m deal in 2001.

Greening soon won over the Teesside faithful and capped a memorable 2002/03 campaign by being named Boro's Player of the Season.

The Scarborough-born star, who boasts ten England Under-21 caps, missed just 45 minutes of Premiership action that term and his excellent form prompted Sven-Goran Eriksson to select him for an England training camp.

Greening remained an important figure at Boro during 2003/04, making 29 appearances, but faced increased competition for a shirt following the arrivals of Gaizka Mendieta and Bolo Zenden.

He made 109 appearances for Boro in total, scoring four goals.

(UPDATED ON JUNE 25, 2009)