West Ham fans will be excited ahead of the new season and there’s now just 12 days to go until the Hammers kick-off their campaign with a difficult clash with Manchester United, where new-signing Javier Hernandez will be a focal point in the game.
The Mexican striker is set for his return to English football after leaving the Red Devils two-years ago but is yet to feature for his new side, having returned to pre-season later due to his involvement in the Confederations Cup this summer.
However, Hernandez is now ready to go and could be braced for plenty of game time in West Ham’s two remaining pre-season matches, with the £16m addition set to make his debut tonight against Altona 93 and then potentially featuring again in Sunday’s clash with Manchester City in Iceland.
The fifth-tier German side should prove to be easy pickings for Slaven Bilic’s side and it will give Hernandez a big chance of netting his first goal for the Hammers, which will raise confidence ahead of the crucial clash at Old Trafford a week on Sunday.
Fellow new recruits Joe Hart and Marko Arnautovic have already made their debuts for the Hammers, featuring in the 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen on Saturday, and the Mexican striker will now be playing catch-up on his fitness.
With 12 days and two games before the opening game of the Premier League season though, Hernandez should be able to find full fitness before West Ham’s clash with Manchester United and a run-out this evening will be crucial.
It’s unlikely Hernandez will play the full ninety minutes in either of West Ham’s remaining pre-season matches but he should be able to play at least 45 minutes this evening and then the same again on Friday, though he could play as much as an hour.
West Ham will certainly want him firing on all cylinders ahead of the new season, especially following concerns over a knee injury to Manuel Lanzini- although the set-back for the Argentine is not as serious as first feared.
Hernandez is expected to lead the attack for West Ham next weekend against Manchester United, with Marko Arnautovic on the left and Michail Antonio on the opposite side. If fit, Manuel Lanzini should complete the attacking quartet and fill the central position behind the Mexican striker.