Forgotten West Ham man returns to training - could he be Nuno's secret weapon? | OneFootball

Maxwel Cornet is back in West Ham training ahead of their Championship return

West Ham have begun pre-season training ahead of their first Championship campaign in 15 years, and there's been a mixture of some old and new faces already in Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

Understandably, the whole Hammers squad hasn't returned just yet, with a good number of players coming off the back of competing in the World Cup this summer.

But there are a few who West Ham fans have pointed out aren't with the squad in the early days of pre-season, despite having a lengthy summer break due to not playing across the Atlantic. At least, not according to the images and videos put out by the club.

One player in particular who hasn't been seen in pre-season is Maxwel Cornet, who has had a terrible few years at the London Stadium after signing from Burnley for £17.5 million following a nine-goal Premier League season in the summer of 2022.

The Ivorian wideman hasn't played for West Ham in over two years, enduring uneventful loan spells at Southampton and Genoa in the last couple of seasons.

Truth revealed over Maxwel Cornet's perceived pre-season absence

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However, according to Claret & Hugh, West Ham sources have confirmed that Cornet was, indeed, back at the club training on Monday with the rest of the early pre-season squad.

It begs the question whether that means the 29-year-old may have a route back to the Hammers fold after a few years in the wilderness. Indeed, he's played just 37 times for the club since his arrival four years ago.

A calf injury just a couple of months into his time at the London Stadium on his full Premier League debut for the Hammers saw him out for five months. It proved difficult for him to get back into the fold under David Moyes, and in the 2023/24 campaign, he was an unused substitute 21 times in the Premier League.

After Moyes was let go at the end of that season, Cornet hasn't played at all for West Ham, and injuries and being unfavoured have led him to make just 19 appearances in total in the last two years at Southampton and Genoa.

Arguably, his stock is at the lowest it's ever been as he enters the final year of his Hammers contract, and genuine questions can be asked about whether there'll be any suitors at all for the Ivorian given his lack of game time over the last four years.

With the 29-year-old back in training at West Ham, perhaps he could be integrated back into the side ahead of the new Championship campaign.

Maxwel Cornet will be looking to impress a new manager for the third summer running

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Cornet hasn't been given a look-in over the course of the last two seasons, in which he's had to come back and impress new managers in Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.

This summer, he returns with yet another new head coach at the club, as Nuno Espirito Santo takes charge of his first second-tier campaign since winning it with Wolves back in 2017/18.

that all roads lead to Cornet leaving once again this summer, but if a meaningful offer doesn't come in for him, perhaps Nuno would be open to giving him a chance back in the Hammers fold.

It seems a very long time ago now since the 29-year-old was a hot commodity out of France, making over 250 appearances for Lyon and competing in numerous UEFA Champions League campaigns before moving to the Premier League to play for Burnley.

If Cornet can somehow rediscover a fraction of that form and remain fit for a lengthy period of the season, he could be a very useful wideman for West Ham in the Championship, and potentially one of the better players in the division.

It's a big if, given his recent history, but if he can impress Nuno in pre-season, perhaps he may be given a chance.