OPINION
It is safe to say that West Ham United striker Javier Hernandez has not had the best of times this season.
He has not been a regular feature under boss Manuel Pellegrini, and he has recently been sidelined due to injury.
However, even though he is not the most pivotal of figures at the London Stadium, the fact that he is fit to face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday will undoubtedly be a major boost for the Hammers.
According to club insider exWHUemployee on the West Ham Way podcast, the the 5ft 7in [Transfermarkt] ace is expected to recover from a virus which has meant he has been on the sidelines recently.
“Hernandez will be back by the weekend as he just had a virus, ‘fluey’ type thing so he’ll be better for Sunday,” he said on the podcast [26:59].
Seeming as striker Marko Arnautovic went off in the 3-1 win over Everton on Sunday in the second half, the fact that the Irons have suitable cover in Hernandez will make fans issue a sigh of relief.
Arnautovic looked like that he was struggling when he was substituted on Sunday, which may have caused supporters to fear the worst, as it looked like Lucas Perez would have to step in and provide the cover with Hernandez out.
Perez has been poor in the small number of outings he has shown so far, so the prospect of him covering Arnautovic would have left fans sweating, especially as they are facing Chelsea this weekend.
However, Hernandez is a player who has experience of playing against a side like the Blues, and he will be an important figure if he is selected to play.
West Ham would not have stood a chance if Perez was selected to play, so they must count their lucky stars that Hernandez has recovered and is fit to feature.