James Ward-Prowse expected to be part of the West Ham United squad against Sunderland today | OneFootball

West Ham United midfielder James Ward-Prowse is expected to be part of the matchday squad to face Sunderland today, according to ExWHUemployee.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo has not named the 31-year-old in any of his teams since becoming the Hammers boss four months ago.

The Portuguese told Ward-Prowse privately that he did not feature in his plans before his first training session at Rush Green.

However, the Englishman could be back in the fold following the departure of Andy Irving and the likely exit of Guido Rodriguez.

The Hammers are currently short in midfield, and it appears Nuno has opted to finally include Ward-Prowse in his plans.

The midfielder has been linked with an exit this month, but he could now remain at the club if the West Ham boss starts playing him.

Ward-Prowse has had to train alone since Nuno’s arrival. He featured in each of the opening six games of this season under Graham Potter and his return to the squad could be a huge boost for the club.

Ward-Prowse and Nuno fell out when the player joined Nottingham Forest on loan for the 2024-25 season, but had the deal terminated after five months.

West Ham need a win against Sunderland today to boost their survival chances, and Nuno has to start making logical decisions with his team selection.

They are 18th in the table after 22 games, five points off safety, and they need to start picking up points sooner rather than later if they want to remain in the Premier League.