James Ward-Prowse was in West Ham United squad vs Sunderland because of a space on the bench | OneFootball

James Ward-Prowse getting named in a West Ham United matchday squad for the first time under manager Nuno Espirito Santo last Saturday was not viewed as a U-turn by the Hammers boss, according to the Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg.

Nuno included the 31-year-old in his team against Sunderland, the first time such has happened since he became the Hammers boss four months ago.

He had told Ward-Prowse privately before his first training session at Rush Green that the midfielder did not feature in his plans.

That remains the case as the West Ham star has undergone a medical at Burnley with a view to joining on loan for the rest of the season.

Ward-Prowse only made the matchday squad last weekend because a space on the bench had to be filled after West Ham agreed to let Guido Rodriguez join Valencia on the night before the game.

It was too late for an academy player to be added to the first-team squad for the match because the Hammers under-21s had played on Friday night.

As a result, Nuno was left with no choice but to include Ward-Prowse in his team.

The Englishman was not in contention to feature against the Black Cats and will now spend the rest of the campaign with Burnley.

Andy Irving has also left while Lucas Paqueta is set to leave for Flamengo in the coming days after West Ham agreed to sell the Brazilian in a £35.5 million deal.

Tomas Soucek has also been linked with a move to Besiktas, but Nuno is not expected to sanction his exit as he is currently in need of midfield reinforcements.

The Hammers boss has bolstered his attack with the additions of Adama Traore, Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos, and he could look to add another midfielder before next Monday’s deadline.