West Ham United defender Fabian Balbuena is not set to return to the line up to face Newcastle this weekend but Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell should be fit in time to be in contention, according to reliable journalist Sam Inkersole.
The Football London journalist revealed on his personal Twitter account that 2018 signing Balbuena will not be partnering Issa Diop in the centre of defence this weekend after being out with a knee injury recently.
Cresswell missed the defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday due to a broken toe, but he should be making a return to the squad alongside fellow left-back Masuaku.
Injury news: Fabian Balbuena is training but won't play vs Newcastle. Arthur Masuaku (knee) & Aaron Cresswell should return, Marko Arnautovic (virus) has trained. #WHUFC
— Sam Inkersole (@Sam_InkersoleTM) March 1, 2019
OPINION
Ben Johnson was thrown in at the deep end against Manchester City due to the injuries to Cresswell and Masuaku, but it now looks like his time in the starting XI was short lived if this update is anything to go by. Cresswell is likely to start if he makes a return, which is a slight shame as it would have been interesting to see how Johnson has improved since the last game. However, Manuel Pellegrini will be glad that he could be seeing two of his key stars returning, as throwing a rookie like Johnson in to the mix should really be a last resort for the manager. He is obviously taking a precaution with Balbuena by not allowing him to play this weekend, despite saying last week that he would be returning. Either way, the left-back role looks likely to be strengthened this weekend with the return of Cresswell and Masuaku.