West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui has surprisingly revealed that striker Niclas Fullkrug could be available to face Fulham this weekend.

It was initially reported that the German international would be out for two to three weeks with an Achilles injury but, speaking at his pre-match press conference, Lopetegui said:

“He has a bit of a problem, which is a pity, but we’ll see later today. I think tomorrow we’ll take the final decision about him.”

Fullkrug did play for Germany against Hungary during the international break. He scored before being substituted on the hour mark in the 5-0 win. However, he didn’t feature in the draw versus the Netherlands a few days later.

There were concerns that he could be sidelined for a while but it looks like he could make the squad on Saturday or, at the very least, for the following fixture against Chelsea.

Lopetegui has also confirmed that another West Ham player is back in contention

No.1 Alphonse Areola had to be substituted at half-time during the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month. It was subsequently confirmed that the Frenchman was suffering with a back problem, but he did not drop out of France’s squad for the Nations League fixtures against Italy and France. The keeper has been pictured in training and, asked about his physical condition, Lopetegui said:

“He’s OK. He’s recovered well.”

Do West Ham have any other injury concerns?

Aaron Cresswell is the only other first-team player currently on the treatment table. The left-back picked up a hamstring problem in the warm-up before the Carabao Cup second-round tie against Bournemouth last month.

No estimate has been provided on an expected return date, and a lot will depend on how serious the muscle injury is. A major tear could keep him out for months.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here