West Ham will face Ipswich Town on Saturday at the London Stadium with the club in desperate need of a win. In six Premier League games, Julen Lopetegui’s side have managed just one win, drawing two and losing three.
After a summer in which the Stratford-based club spent over £100 million on new players, much more was anticipated of their start to the 2024/25 campaign but little has yet come to fruition. It has been highly unfortunate that one such new recruit Niclas Fullkrug has been out of action ever since his arrival after sustaining an injury while on international duty.
As Lopetegui contends with how to find those much needed three points on Saturday, here is all the latest injury news from both the West Ham and Ipswich camps…
West Ham
Earlier today, Wednesday 2 October, it was confirmed that Germany international Fullkrug would not be back until after the international break. When asked by the media as to his potential return this weekend, Lopetegui said of his new striker: “No, he’s not back until after the international break. His injury has taken longer than we first thought.”
The 31-year-old has been recovering from both calf and achilles issues but his return is now not anticipated until at least the clash against Tottenham Hotspur on October 19.
The Irons do have the boost of Edson Alvarez returning after he served his one-match suspension for a second yellow during the side’s 1-1 draw at Brentford.
Ipswich
30-year-old Janoi Donacien remains out of action after he sustained a small ankle injury while on international duty with Saint Lucia. Speaking on September 19, his head coach Kieran McKenna said: “He’s just come back from international duty and has got a small ankle injury. He’s still with us, is getting some treatment and is looking at the next steps.”
Both Harry Clarke and Nathan Broadhead remain doubts for the clash but Broadhead is said to be much closer to a return following a thigh injury. Speaking over the weekend, McKenna said of the 26-year-old forward: “Nathan has been training well for the last week or so, so we’ve almost got a fully fit squad.”
As for 23-year-old defender Clarke, the Ipswich head coach confirmed on September 19: “Harry is a little bit further behind, but he’s trained the majority of the sessions this week. If we were in big, big need, he could probably get on the pitch this weekend, but we’re pretty strong in that position.”
Discussion about this post