West Ham United Head Coach Julen Lopetegui provided an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of Saturday’s London derby against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Summer signing Niclas Füllkrug picked up a knock while on international duty with Germany, related to his Achilles tendon and calf muscle, and was subsequently left out of the four-time World Cup winners’ squad for their 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on 10 September.
The 31-year-old had scored against Hungary three days earlier, having made four appearances for the Irons in the early stages of the domestic campaign, and looked set to miss his Club’s return to Premier League action this weekend.
However, Lopetegui refused to rule him out of inclusion for the trip to west London, ahead of Thursday’s training session at the Rush Green training ground.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Spanish boss said: “Let’s see what happens. He has a little problem, which is a pity, but we will evaluate him, as we are with everyone else.
“Yesterday [Wednesday] he was a bit better, and we just need to keep an eye on him. I think we will make a final decision on him tomorrow [Friday].”
Elsewhere, goalkeeper Alphonse Areola could be in line for a return to the starting XI, after being replaced at half-time of the home defeat to Manchester City last time out.
And deadline-day arrival Carlos Soler is hoping to make his debut in Claret and Blue in the Hammers’ second London derby of the season, following a productive couple of weeks in training behind the scenes.
Lopetegui added: “Alphonse is okay. He had a problem, which was unfortunate, but he has recovered well.
“It’s been good working with Carlos since he came in, and helping him understand the way we want to play. He’s a good player, at a good age, and he can help us in a different position.
“We’re looking forward to our last couple of sessions before the Fulham game, because we’ve been waiting for a lot of the players to come back from playing for their countries. We’ll evaluate everything and then make a decision about how we’re going to set up.”
