West Ham United boss David Moyes shared an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of Saturday’s penultimate Premier League clash at home to Luton Town.
The Hammers will be looking to bounce back to winning ways in their final home game of the season against the Hatters, who they saw off 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Kenilworth Road in September.
While Lucas Paquetá could be available to Moyes after sustaining a minor knock on Sunday, the manager confirmed he will definitely be without the injured Nayef Aguerd, who continues his recovery from an injury suffered in the first half of the 1-1 Europa League draw with Bayer Leverkusen at London Stadium on 18 April, while fellow defender Dinos Mavropanos will remain absent after being withdrawn on the hour mark against Fulham on 14 April, missing the Hammers’ last four matches in all competitions.
“Paquetá seems OK. He trained most of the week. Unfortunately we’ve still not got Dinos [Mavropanos] or Nayef [Aguerd] back, so they’re our main injury problems at the moment,” Moyes confirmed speaking in his pre-match press conference.
The manager was left disappointed with the manner of last weekend's defeat by Chelsea - but has challenged his side to show a reaction and consolidate a top-half finish.
Defeat at Stamford Bridge all but ended hopes of European qualification for the Hammers, but Moyes hopes to end his tenure on a high following the announcement that he will depart the Club at the end of the campaign.
"I hoped we would have been pushing for Europe in this game, but we've just dropped out of it. We are still pushing for a strong finish in the Premier League, and to finish in the top ten would be excellent for us. It's really important we win the game tomorrow and it's a game we want to bounce back in after last week."
Luton have a number of injured absentees, including defenders Dan Potts, Mads Anderson, Amari’i Bell and Tom Lockyer and midfielders Issa Kaboré and Marvelous Nakamba, while forwards Jacob Brown and Chiedozie Ogbene work their way back to full fitness.
