West Ham handed major injury boost as Nuno Espirito Santo reveals latest | OneFootball

Hammers are expecting star back after long lay-off

Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that Tomas Soucek has returned to training as he steps up his recovery from an ankle ligament injury.

Soucek has yet to feature for West Ham this season after he was stretchered off the pitch during the Czech Republic’s final World Cup group game against Mexico in June.

The 31-year-old has now, though, returned to training and is closing in on a return to action after nearly three months on the sidelines.

Speaking ahead of the Hammers’ trip to Wrexham on Friday night, Nuno confirmed that Soucek was combining fitness work with team training to ensure he is up to speed as the Irons recover from a slow start to their Championship campaign.

“He is getting better,” Nuno said of the Czech.

“He is doing some parts of the sessions with the rest of the group already, but we’re also trying to complement that with some individual fitness work, so that he’s in the right place when he comes back.

Nuno also added that the club still need to assess striker Taty Castellanos, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury, and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola after he suffered a dead leg.

“It’s been a tight schedule, and things to assess. We will do that, and then decide,” Nuno said of the forward.

“Taty is one of those we need to look at, among others. It was a tendon. He felt some pain there, but he’s improving.

“With Areola, it was a dead leg, but he is improving, and we are continuing to assess him day by day.”

Monitored: Taty Castellanos

PA

Several first-team stars moved away from West Ham following their relegation to the second tier last season, with Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and Aaron Wan-Bissaka among those to leave the London Stadium.

But Soucek, who is one of the remaining members of the Irons’ 2023 Conference League-winning squad, took to social media to pledge his allegiance to helping the east Londoners secure promotion back to the Premier League.

“Since the season ended, I’ve only had one thing on my mind. West Ham United. This Club means so much to me, and I’m ready to do everything I can in helping get it back to where it belongs; to the English Premier League,” he wrote.

“For the immediate future, I’ll support the boys off the pitch whilst I rehabilitate. Then once back, I’ll give everything I have on the pitch, fighting alongside the boys once again.”