West Ham United: Lucas Paqueta gets special visit in race for fitness
Lucas Paqueta got a special visit from Brazil’s doctor at West Ham as the race for fitness ahead of the World Cup goes on, according to ESPN.
César Sampaio and Rodrigo Lasmar made a special pilgrimage to England to check up on two of Tite’s key players for the Qatar World Cup with Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison also in a race against time.
The competition starts on 20 November and Tite will be crossing his fingers that Paqueta can recover from his shoulder problem in time to represent his country.
Both players are thought to be recovering very well which should see them both named in the final squad for the tournament and then get through the games required without an issue.
Paqueta even trained alone with Sampaio and Lasmar at the West Ham training ground who evaluated his fitness while his shoulder injury reaches the final stages of its recovery.
Crucial
It is still on edge whether the 25-year-old will end up playing for the Hammers before the World Cup break but it is very good news to hear that he should be fine to represent the most successful country in football.
And David Moyes will need him back as soon as possible to keep the Irons moving up the Premier League table with no equal to him in the number 10 role anywhere at the London Stadium.
Once he returns to the side, whether it be before or after the World Cup in Qatar, there will be a huge and sudden upturn in form for Moyes’ men and his importance cannot be underestimated despite his few games so far in England.
The schedule post-World Cup is unbelievably hectic for the Hammers so Paqueta can’t afford to re-injure the same shoulder he is currently struggling with and that might see Moyes err on the side of caution when he returns.