Confirmed West Ham United team news v Leeds United – Michail Antonio struck by illness
David Moyes held his pre-match press conference for the West Ham United clash against Leeds United on January 4 and gave some interesting updates.
Moyes confirmed the absence of injured centre-back Kurt Zouma from the fixture and also highlighted star forward Michail Antonio had been struck by an illness.
The Scot confessed that Antonio had “a bit of illness” but is hoping that he’ll be okay for the Leeds United fixture and admitted that Nayef Aguerd is under serious contention to return.
“Mick has had a bit of illness, which a lot of people have had around the country, but hopefully he’s OK. Kurt is doing OK, but he’s not available for this game,” said Moyes as quoted by whufc.com.
“Nayef is getting himself back ready and is under serious consideration for this game. He picked up a virus and injury at the World Cup, but he’s back training and building himself up. He’s really important. He’s a new player that we’ve got to introduce to the Premier League.”
Must-win.
Moyes went on to say in his pre-match press conference that he is feeling the full support of the West Ham United board alongside the fans.
But this may just be a smile to cover the cracks, if he loses against Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United outfit on January 4, serious questions will be asked about his leadership.
A win, however, would catapult Moyes and the Hammers into better days and that’s just how much of a swing a good win can be in the Premier League today.
Marsch’s fierce Leeds United outfit will be a tough test for Moyes and the West Yorkshire side have looked considerably better in recent top-flight outings.
The Irons will need star players like Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta to be at their very best otherwise it could be a fateful night at Elland Road.
Whatever the result, it’s nice to see that Aguerd is back in contention for a starting place, his World Cup class will be needed for West Ham United in the coming weeks.