David Moyes has offered an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of West Ham United’s Premier League fixture with Southampton on Sunday.
The men’s first team have returned from an international break ahead of a busy schedule that sees the Irons play nine games in April across both the Premier League and UEFA Europa Conference League.
Over the past couple of days, the Hammers involved with their countries have returned to Rush Green training ground, with Moyes still assessing his squad ahead of this weekend’s fixture at London Stadium.
“We're pretty good,” Moyes said, speaking after training on Friday. “We've got illness here and there and a couple of injuries [with the players coming back from international duty].
"Emerson has had a bit of sickness, [Nayef] Aguerd came back with a bit of a grumbly hip and [Gianluca] Scamacca has a bit of a sore knee, so we'll see where they are in the next few days."
It is clear that West Ham will have to manage their squad over a busy April fixture list. After Southampton, the Hammers face Newcastle United and Fulham in quick succession – the next three Premier League fixtures played in six days.
Moyes is aware of the challenges that come with a packed schedule. After all, it is feasible the Irons could play every mid-week between now and 18 May should they beat KAA Gent over two legs and reach the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final.
With that in mind, the Hammers will be buoyed by Łukasz Fabiański back training without a mask, and Vladimír Coufal also stepping up his return to full fitness.
The former Poland stopper has been out of action since sustaining a fractured cheekbone during the Irons’ 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest, while the Czech full-back featured in both of his country’s UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Poland and Moldova across the March international window, having missed West Ham's last two Premier League fixtures with a foot/heel issue.
