West Ham United vs Brentford: Lucas Paqueta update emerges from London Stadium before kick off
Lucas Paqueta is with the West Ham squad ahead of kick off against Brentford at the London Stadium, according to Roshane Thomas.
The Athletic journalist shared an image of the Brazilian star with an update via Twitter on 26 February as the Hammers gear up to face their London rivals in the Premier League.
Paqueta has missed the past six top flight matches with a thigh issue, in which time David Moyes has found himself under significant pressure without a win in 2024.
Moyes revealed ahead of the game that the midfielder was back in training [Sky Sports, 23 February], and it looks like he could be involved.
Lucas Paqueta looks set to be involved for West Ham against Brentford after injury absence
The 26-year-old’s influence on the Irons side was clear from his strong form earlier this season, but the major struggles in his absence have truly shown how important he apparently is.
Moyes job is back on the line thanks to the nosedive in results since a contract extension emerged in the wake of wins over Arsenal and Manchester United before Christmas.
So the Scot, and the fanbase, have been crying out for the Brazilian star to make a return and it appears it might be on its way at last.
That interest from Manchester City hasn’t gone away [Telegraph, 23 February], after his proposed summer move collapsed due to the betting investigation that emerged at the same time, has surely made it of the utmost importance that Tim Steidten finds a viable replacement ahead of the summer window.
The future of the German himself, just like the manager and the star player, is up in the air amid links to joining a post-Jurgen Klopp Liverpool, so there is uncertainty all over the place in East London currently.
In the short-term three points against Brentford would help settle things and Paqueta’s involvement makes that more likely.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers and arch-rivals Millwall are both in the hunt to sign the same player.
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