Nuno Espírito Santo set the cat among the pigeons yesterday when he told reporters: “Unfortunately we’re going to have some players out. It is what it is, but I’m not going to say who it is.”
The revelation sparked a wave of speculation, with West Ham United fans fearing the worst and names such as Jarrod Bowen and Axel Disasi being mentioned as possible absentees.
However, Bowen was pictured training with his teammates yesterday, prompting a collective sigh of relief across the fanbase.
That said, mystery still surrounded exactly who Nuno was referring to.
So this morning, Claret & Hugh spoke to Hammers insider ExWHUEmployee to get clarity on the manager’s mini injury crisis — and it turns out Nuno may have been playing a little possum with reporters.
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Ex told us: “Whilst West Ham do have some injury concerns as confirmed by Nuno in his press conference, I don’t think they are as bad as is being reported. I believe Pablo is a concern and a couple of other players will have tests, but the majority of players you would expect to be involved in the squad did train yesterday.”
Lovely. Exactly what we wanted to hear.
Pablo talks to Taty Castellanos before West Ham's game against Chelsea
Pablo could miss the game against Manchester United
Pablo Concern Remains — But Burnley Starters Set to Feature
The update on Pablo won’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched him limping during the win over Burnley.
As for the rest, Adama Traoré was notably absent from training-ground footage — but according to Ex, most, if not all, of the players who started at Turf Moor are expected to be available.
Which means West Ham should head into tonight’s clash with Manchester United with something close to a full-strength side.
After yesterday’s panic, that’s about as good an update as Hammers fans could have hoped for.