Injury Expert: Four West Ham United players could return v AEK Larnaca
David Moyes could be boosted by the return of up to four players as his West Ham United side prepare for their European Conference League last-16 encounter against AEK Larnaca on Thursday (9 March), according to injury expert Ben Dinnery.
Writing for the Premier Injuries website, Dinnery shared that summer signing Maxwell Cornet stands a “50%” chance of featuring after building up his match fitness for the Under-21s last Friday night (3 March).
Thilo Kehrer remains a 50/50 doubt with a potential return date of “09/03/2023” from his fever, while Vladimir Coufal stands a “25%” chance of playing in the crunch European encounter due to a heel injury.
Michael Antonio, meanwhile, has a “50%” status after missing the demoralising 4-0 defeat to Brighton with a tweaked hamstring.
The Hammers’ ever-dependable goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is ruled out of the European tie with the fractured cheekbone and eye socket he sustained against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Promising
Considering the number of injuries that David Moyes has had to deal with this season, the list above shouldn’t overly bother him.
The Hammers have a perfectly able understudy to Fabianski in Alphonse Areola, while Antonio and Kehrer were struggling to keep their spots in the starting line-up before their injuries.
The big hope will be that Cornet is deemed fit enough to feature in some capacity for the Irons on Thursday night. After confirming his move from Burnley in the summer, the 26-year-old has been plagued by a string of ill-timed injuries that have kept him on the Hammers’ medical table almost all season long.
When you consider the lack of goals Moyes’ side has scored this season – 23 in 25 Premier League matches – Cornet’s return couldn’t come soon enough. The Ivory Coast international could be the dynamic spark that West Ham United need to click their attack into gear on a consistent basis.