West Ham United: Kalvin Phillips returns to training ahead of Bayer Leverkusen as image emerges
Kalvin Phillips has been spotted in West Ham training ahead of the Europa League quarter-final second-leg tie against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday (18 April).
Sean Whetstone took to X on Wednesday 17 April to share the image of the on-loan Manchester City midfielder back in training ahead of an all-important match against the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions.
Phillips had been ruled out of the tie, according to Jack Rosser, having suffered a hamstring injury during training on Tuesday 9 April and was expected to be out for up to a fortnight.
Could Kalvin Phillips feature in West Ham United v Bayer Leverkusen?
While the 28-year-old is unlikely to be handed a start for the Hammers, David Moyes will be more comfortable knowing he has reinforcements on the bench ahead of the crucial tie should he be fit enough for that.
Even with Edson Alvarez unavailable through suspension in the return leg, Moyes decided on a midfield duo of Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse in front of a back-five.
Phillips has experienced a rough loan spell since arriving at the London Stadium in the January transfer window, and being avoided for the Europa League tie could have been the final nail in the coffin.
However, without Lucas Paqueta and Emerson Palmieri unavailable for selection, the loanee could be called upon if fit enough, even despite his errors at the club so far.
Phillips has only made nine appearances under Moyes’ leadership but now would be the perfect time to prove himself in front of a packed-out home crowd at the London Stadium.
The Hammers need to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg, which many have already turned their noses up at, though anything is possible on a European night.
The potential return of Jarrod Bowen could hand West Ham a major boost after missing the last two matches, having been spotted in training ahead of the clash on Thursday.
In other West Ham news, an update has been shared on George Earthy after he was stretchered off against Fulham.
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