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Opinion: West Ham star may be ruled out vs Liverpool as hint emerges in last 24 hours

Crysencio Summerville may not be fit in time to take on Liverpool as West Ham United host them at the London Stadium on Sunday.

The Dutch winger missed the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth due to a knock and remains a doubt ahead of the game against the Reds.

Nuno did say that Summerville will be assessed, but stopped short of clearing him for the game against Arne Slot’s side.

Crysencio Summerville on the floor during West Ham's defeat at Arsenal in the Premier League

Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images

Crysencio Summerville absent from training pictures

West Ham’s official website shared images from their first-team training on 29 November.

While it is a customary process, it often reveals hints as to which players have recovered from injuries and which ones haven’t.

Fans who looked closely to find Summerville would undoubtedly have been disappointed, as he was not spotted with the rest of the team.

In the 24-year-old’s absence, Luis Guilherme started against Bournemouth and it remains to be seen what Nuno’s plans are against Liverpool.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo watches on during the win over Burnley

Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images

Does Lucas Paqueta replace Guilherme or Max Kilman?

Both Guilherme and Max Kilman had games to forget against Bournemouth and Nuno may consider dropping them.

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Lucas Paqueta, who missed that game due to a suspension, is available to take on Slot’s side at the London Stadium.

Hear everything Nuno Espirito Santo said before West Ham v Liverpool

The Brazil international has been one of the Hammers’ best players this season, so it is a no-brainer to put him back in the starting eleven.

An attacking midfielder by trade, he has played as an inside forward on numerous occasions in his West Ham United career.

Putting him in place of Guilherme would mean a straight swap, ensuring Nuno can play the same formation he did against the Cherries.

However, in case he wants to drop Kilman, he could revert to a back four with Igor Julio and Jean Clair-Todibo playing as centre-backs and Paqueta could play in midfield.

Nuno will have assessed Liverpool’s strengths and weaknesses and, contingent on that, will make the required changes to give his side the best chance of getting something out of this game.

Typically, a game against Liverpool would have been hard to get something from, but this current team is far from the all-conquering machine they are known to be, and a good start could see the Hammers get at least a point, if not more.

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