Crysencio Summerville missed West Ham’s game against Bournemouth and is now a doubt for the Premier League game against Liverpool.
Summerville’s absence from the matchday squad against Bournemouth raised eyebrows and it was later revealed that he was missing due to an injury.
Nuno Espirito Santo made no mention of it in the press conference, so it likely took place in the days leading up to West Ham’s 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium.
Crysencio Summerville during West Ham United FC v Wolverhampton Wanderers FC - Premier League
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Summerville unlikely to play the full 90 minutes vs Liverpool
It’s understood that the Dutchman’s absence against the Cherries was due to a minor injury and nothing major.
Summerville has been given a 50 per cent chance of being fit for the Liverpool game this Sunday.
He will undoubtedly need to be assessed over the week and see if he’s in good shape to take on the defending champions.
West Ham Way have also reported that the general consensus among those at the club is that it is a minor injury.
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Clubs typically have fitness tests scheduled a day or two before matches, which the 24-year-old will likely need to clear.
Even if he is fit, given his injury record since his move to the London Stadium, West Ham are likely not to give him the full 90 minutes.
If he’s in a condition to start, Nuno may be told that it would be safer to bring him off by the 65th or 70th minute to avoid any re-injury risk.
Nuno Espirito Santo applauds West Ham's travelling fans
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
Luis Guilherme once again set to start?
Nuno now has an important decision to make in case Summerville is not cleared to play.
He can either start Luis Guilherme or play Lucas Paqueta instead of him, as the Brazilian will be returning from a one-match suspension.
Alternatively, both can play if he reverts to a back four and drops Max Kilman and deploys Paqueta in a three-man midfield.
Both Kilman and Guilherme had games worth forgetting against Bournemouth, but the former came under more scrutiny as he’s a seasoned Premier League player.
Nuno is more likely to keep Guilherme in the side for his legs and ability to cause Liverpool problems on the counter-attack and it would make sense to take Kilman out of the firing line for one game.
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