West Ham United boss David Moyes shares Lucas Paqueta injury update for Europa Conference League clash v Gent
West Ham manager David Moyes has revealed that Lucas Paqueta should be “okay” for the upcoming clash against Gent.
The Hammers visit the Belgian side for the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final on Thursday (13 April).
And midfielder Paqueta, who missed the league match with Fulham on Saturday (8 April), looks set to return following a knock picked up against Newcastle earlier this month.
“Paqueta got a bad knock against Newcastle, but he trained on Friday and we felt he might be okay but his ankle was just a bit too puffy,” said Moyes, as quoted by the official West Ham website.
“He’s trained again and we think he’ll be okay for tomorrow.”
Underwhelming campaign
Paqueta has been underwhelming in his debut season at West Ham, with the Brazilian failing to hit the heights that many expected of him since his summer move from French side Lyon.
The Hammers are, of course, struggling as a whole, but star players usually show their class and are able to help pull their teammates out of desperate situations.
Paqueta has shown glimpses of his ability in recent times, but unfortunately for Moyes, those glimpses have been few and far between.
The attacker has just two goals and two assists from his 20 Premier League matches, with zero goals and one assist in this season’s Europa Conference League.
Granted, he has stepped into a deeper role at times, but those figures will definitely disappoint Paqueta.
He is one of many players who need to step up in the weeks and months to come, beginning with their tough trip to Gent, who are looking strong in Europe this season.
Despite his struggles in the final third, the Brazilian remains a key player for the Hammers, with fans just desperate for the playmaker to start creating some much-needed magic going forward.