West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that a number of first-team players are on their way back to full fitness, but that Jack Wilshere is currently contending with a groin injury.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference as his side prepare to take on Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday evening, the Chilean confirmed that goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and attacking midfielder Manuel Lanzini – side-lined with hip and shoulder injuries respectively – are on the road to recovery.
Long-serving defender Winston Reid, meanwhile, has been working with the first-team squad after garnering match minutes with the U23s and his international side, New Zealand, over the last two months.
“Lukasz Fabianski is continuing with his recovery, the same as Manu Lanzini,” Pellegrini confirmed. “Winston Reid is playing and working without any problems.”
The manager revealed, however, that Wilshere – whose last Premier League appearance was in West Ham’s game against Everton in the middle of October – is suffering from injury.
“Jack Wilshere continues to have some pain in his groin,” he said.
We must try to win this game, to add three points more, to try to finish in the best way our first round of the league, and try to improve in the second
Manuel Pellegrini
Elsewhere, Issa Diop and Sebastien Haller will hope to earn recalls to the starting XI, while Aaron Cresswell has been training in full after coming off with a knock in Monday's home defeat by Arsenal and should be available to face the Saints.
The Irons will be looking to address a difficult run of results in recent weeks when they travel to the south coast, having picked up only one win in ten Premier League games.
Pellegrini believes that the first step towards picking up further points in such a competitive division is to attain solidity as a team, before looking to the return round of fixtures as an opportunity to improve their form and league position.
“I think that we must be a solid team,” he noted. “We must try to win this game, to add three points more, to try to finish in the best way our first round of the league, and try to improve in the second.”
