West Ham United have been handed a potentially huge boost ahead of their Premier League meeting against Southampton this afternoon.
What’s the latest?
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, David Moyes suggested that, after being left out of the Hammers side which defeated Anderlecht in midweek, Kurt Zouma could now be back in contention for today’s trip to St Mary’s, with the centre-back currently recovering from an illness picked up in the week.
Regarding the condition of the 27-year-old, the Irons manager said: “Kurt has got a little bit of the sniffles, so we will need to see how he is.”
According to Premier Injuries, the France international has a 75% chance of being fit to feature against the Saints, with his expected return date currently listed as 16 October.
Huge boost
Following the earlier news that Thilo Kehrer should also be back in contention to face Southampton after recovering from a slight knock, Moyes’ update on Zouma’s potential availability is undoubtedly a further huge boost for West Ham ahead of Sunday’s meeting against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints.
Indeed, the £21.75m-rated centre-back has been an ever-present fixture in the Hammers’ nine Premier League outings so far this season, during which the Frenchman has highly impressed. In addition to helping the Irons to keep two clean sheets, he has averaged 1.1 interceptions, 0.3 tackles, 5.8 clearances and 3.3 duels (at a success rate of 71%) per game.
These returns have seen the £120k-per-week talent average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.88, currently ranking him as Moyes’ fifth-best performer in the top flight.
As such, it is clear to see that Zouma’s likely availability against Southampton is great news for the 59-year-old West Ham manager and his side, as the presence of the 27-year-old in the Hammers’ backline will undoubtedly come as a huge boost to the club’s chances of taking all three points back to London later today.
With West Ham currently on a run of four consecutive wins in all competitions, Moyes will certainly be hoping that his side can continue their upward trajectory with yet another victory at St Mary’s this afternoon.
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