West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui is “set to recall” Edson Alvarez to the starting lineup for the game against Manchester United this weekend, according to GiveMeSport.

Guido Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek have been favoured ahead of the Mexican international in recent games, but he is expected to be named in the first eleven on Sunday afternoon.

Alvarez has not started in any competition since the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last month.

The 27-year-old was suspended for the 1-1 draw against Brentford but he was left on the bench for the win over Ipswich Town and the defeat to Tottenham.

Lopetegui is concerned by West Ham’s midfield

After Hammers shipped 3 goals in the space of 8 minutes against Spurs last Saturday, GiveMeSport reports that the manager is “running out of faith” in certain players already.

Lopetegui is said to be considerably worried with how open the team is in midfield so the return of Alvarez to the eleven makes a lot of sense.

Some feel the United clash is a ‘must-win’ game

After spending £122m on new signings in the summer, Lopetegui is under pressure to deliver results. However, performances have been far from convincing early in the campaign.

Results at home have been particularly poor, having conceded three goals to both Manchester City and Chelsea while also losing 2-1 to Aston Villa on the opening day.

The big victory against Ipswich just before the international break did calm nerves but the nature of the defeat at the hands of Spurs last weekend has got more fans questioning Lopetegui’s management.

It means the next match against United at the London Stadium could be a “must-win” for the under-fire head coach. He has the backing of the board for now but things could change if he can’t get a result on Sunday. Read this article to find out who are the five favourites to replace Lopetegui.

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