New Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo has responded to claims over the former Newcastle United striker's absence
West Ham United's Callum Wilson
Former Newcastle United striker Callum Wison has not featured for West Ham under Nuno Espirito Santo
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West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo insists his decision not to field Callum Wilson in his first three games in charge of the club has nothing to do with any financial reasons.
The former Newcastle United striker has not played under the Portugese boss since he replaced Graham Potter at the London Stadium, despite an injury to frontman Niclas Fullkrug.
Wilson, 33, is on a pay-as-you-play deal at West Ham after he left Newcastle as a free agent last summer.
That has led to claims that he wasn't being used to save money, but Nuno was quick to reject that notion, insisting it is purely a footballing decision.
"Oh, please. Come on, eh?" he said when asked about Wilson's situation.
"Come on. I don't even know that. You think I'm this kind of person? Do I think that? No. Maybe if you knew me better, maybe we don't have to speak about that.
"It's nothing more than a decision. There's nothing there. This speculation doesn't help. You think I think about all these aspects when I have to make a decision to help the team? I don't know.
"I've been here three games. There's a future for him. There's a future for everybody.
"Especially when you are in such a tough situation. We need all of them."
Wilson has scored one goal for West Ham in six appearances to date, netting in their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, which was ironically Nuno's last game in charge of the City Ground club.
However, he has started just one Premier League game for the Hammers, a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace which signalled the end of Potter's reign.
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Wilson made the decision to leave Newcastle when his contract expired last June following five seasons on Tyneside, where he scored 49 goals in 130 appearances.
While he was a popular member of the United squad, his time in the North East was dogged by injuries, and he was restricted to just 458 minutes of first-team action in his final season at the club.
Newcastle will face West Ham on Sunday, November 2 at the London Stadium (2pm), with the Hammers taking on Leeds United tonight (8pm).