Lopetegui shares Niclas Fullkrug injury update ahead of Leicester v West Ham
West Ham United boss Julen Lopetegui has revealed when Niclas Fullkrug and Mohammed Kudus will return to action ahead of the clash with Leicester City.
Fullkrug has had constant injury woes since he moved to the London Stadium, playing a total of 63 minutes in three of the Hammers’ 13 Premier League matches so far this season.
Meanwhile, Kudus has been banned for the last five matches following a violent conduct incident in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham on 19 October.
The Irons manager gave an update on both players in his pre-match press conference [2 December] ahead of Tuesday’s (3 December) fixture with the Foxes, saying: “[uüllkrug] is improving and is very close.
“Tomorrow, I think, is going to be difficult, but hopefully, he will be ready for the next matches.
“Mohammed Kudus is back. He’s missed a lot of matches, but he’s fit and ready, which is good news because it’s a good thing to have more players available.”
West Ham boost as Mohammed Kudus back v Leicester City
The return of two attacking players is a huge boost for Lopetegui as he fights to keep his job in the dugout at the London Stadium.
Jarrod Bowen is currently the Hammers’ top provider – his six combined goals and assists in the Premier League is double the amount of anyone else in the squad.
The Irons desperately need more firepower as they have scored more than one goal in just two of their last six matches.
The addition of Fullkrug has been one of the most disappointing signings of the season so far with the German spending more time in the treatment room than on the pitch.
Lopetegui will hope that the striker comes back firing to ease the heavy pressure around his job right now, especially with the poor form of Michail Antonio.
The Hammers have a favourable run of fixtures in the festive period, and a failure to gain a sufficient amount of points will likely see the end of the Spaniard’s reign.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes has defended the club after an awkward exchange on MOTD2.
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