West Ham United manager David Moyes has offered updates on the fitness statuses of two of his goalkeepers.
Following last Saturday’s defeat away at Manchester City, in which Darren Randolph deputised late on for Lukasz Fabianski, Moyes confirmed that both shot-stoppers had picked up injuries which would require further assessment and recovery in due course.
Poland international Fabianski had obtained an elbow injury following an accidental training ground collision the day before the match, whilst Republic of Ireland ‘keeper Randolph required treatment during it for a minor recurrence of a recent thigh injury.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Monday evening’s game at home to Leeds United, Moyes admitted that he hoped at least one of the two goalkeepers would be available for selection at London Stadium.
“I think we’re pretty much as we were,” Moyes said, explaining his team news. “Lukasz Fabianski hasn’t trained yet [this week], but he’s got a chance of playing.
“Darren Randolph’s got a little bit of a problem with his hip. He’s doing a bit of work in the gym.
“We’ve got a little bit of a consideration with both of our goalkeepers, but I’m hoping that I’ll have one of them fit for the game on Monday night.”
Despite this season’s fixture schedule being condensed in light of the effects of the global pandemic, the Irons will have enjoyed nine days between their last two matches by the time Monday’s game rolls around.
Following particularly busy January and February programmes, in which the Irons played seven and six games respectively, this spacing has afforded Moyes and his players the opportunity to recuperate.
Now, the manager admits he is looking for his players to pick up where they left off against Leeds United, with the Hammers having won seven of their ten Premier League games since the turn of the calendar year.
“It’s strange – we moan when there’s too many games, then we moan when there’s too big a break!” he laughed.
“It’s been quite a long break. It’s the way it comes. The teams have to got to handle all different situations. We’ve been able to give all the players a couple of days’ rest and recovery.
“We really want to keep going – we’ve been doing so well and the performances have been so good. We're happy to keep going and keep playing at this moment in time."
