Head Coach Graham Potter could welcome five senior players into his West Ham United matchday squad for Saturday’s Premier League derby with Brentford.
The Irons have signed Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion and welcomed James Ward-Prowse back from his own temporary spell at Nottingham Forest, and both are set to be named in Potter’s matchday 20 for the visit of the Bees to London Stadium.
Meanwhile, three players who missed West Ham’s most-recent fixture at Chelsea on Monday 3 February through injury are all set to be available to face Thomas Frank’s side.
Lucas Paquetá has recovered from the groin injury he suffered at Aston Villa on 26 January, while Edson Álvarez has also returned to training after overcoming the issue he suffered in the same game.
And to complete a hat-trick of positives for Potter, Jean-Clair Todibo could feature under Potter for the first time after missing the Hammers’ previous five fixtures with an ankle problem.
“We’ve had some positive news in terms of Paquetá has trained and should be available, Álvarez has trained and should be available and Todibo is making good progress and has got a chance of making the squad,” the Head Coach confirmed in his pre-match press conference at London Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
“It is probably a little bit too soon to start Evan, but he will certainly be in the squad, so that’s good.”
The returns of the versatile Paquetá, defensive midfielder Álvarez and centre-back Todibo mean Potter now has just three senior players unavailable to face Brentford - Jamaica forward Michail Antonio, Germany centre-forward Niclas Füllkrug, and Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville.
Antonio is recovering after suffering multiple injuries in a car accident in December, while Füllkrug and Summerville are working to recover their fitness after suffering hamstring injuries in an FA Cup tie at Aston Villa in early January.
Potter added: “Füllkrug is still away, Antonio is still away, of course, and Summerville has had a setback with his hamstring, so you’re probably looking at him being around after the [March] international break, which is a bit of a blow for us of course and for him.
“It was the back end of his rehab, he just felt something again, a slightly different part of his hamstring, so obviously it’s very disappointing for him and for us, but he’s a few weeks on now with that and, like I said, I think the other side of the international break is when we’ll probably see him.
“Apart from that, I think we’re okay.”
