ExWHUemployee shares early West Ham United team news v Leeds United
West Ham could welcome back Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma for the clash with Leeds on Wednesday, but Maxwel Cornet is still out says ExWHUemployee.
The central defenders have had injury hit seasons so far, but Aguerd was on the bench for the defeat to Brentford and is expected to be available for the game, while Frenchman Zouma has recovered from knee surgery during the World Cup break.
However while speaking on his podcast via Patreon (2 January), Ex revealed that Cornet is no closer to a return and that he even flew to Paris last week to get more information on his current calf problem.
“In terms of fitness Aguerd was on the bench against Brentford and I wouldn’t be surprised if he came in against Leeds, or at Brentford in the cup at the latest.
“Zouma is on the brink of a return. He would have played already if he didn’t get a virus.
“Cornet has had numerous specialists and injections for his calf to get him back to fitness, but every time they think he’s on the brink of returning he has another setback so he went to Paris to get a further information on the situation.
“He could be back very soon, or he’s going to need an operation on his calf which would take him out for the majority of the season which is a shame.”
Bittersweet
Considering all the defensive injury problems that we’ve had so far this season, having our first-choice centre-back partnership fit and available for such an important game is huge.
West Ham haven’t seen nearly enough of Aguerd this season, but his performances for Morocco in the World Cup show just how good he is and explains why the club paid such a big fee to sign him.
As for Zouma, it’s hugely positive that his knee injury wasn’t serious and despite surgery he was able to return quickly because he’s so good and important to the way we play.
As for Cornet, the bad news keeps on rolling. The Ivorian has struggled to make an impact because of injuries, and his absence has left us short of options in attack when it comes to pace and goalscoring threat.
It seems as though he could be out for a little while now and that isn’t helpful when we’re battling away at the bottom of the table, but hopefully he can get fit quickly and then come into the side to aid us because his profile is exactly what we’re missing right now.