West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that he is only missing two players through injury against Southampton meaning that Samir Nasri could return for his first appearance since March.
The French midfield maestro has been ruled out with a niggling calf problem, with his last outing coming in the dramatic 4-3 victory over Huddersfield in the middle of March.
As well as the former Manchester City man, Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini could return in a triple boost for the Irons, with Andriy Yarmolenko and Andy Carroll the only duo missing.
Pellegrini told Football.London: “Just this week for injuries, Andriy Yarmolenko and Andy Carroll. All the other players are fit. We will see tomorrow, we will decide the starting eleven and who will go to the bench. Maybe for the first time since the first game this season, we have options.”
Opinion
Good news for West Ham, who will no doubt want to give as many players a run out as possible before the summer comes around. You do not know who might be on their way over the transfer window and so this could be a chance for Pellegrini to run the rule over his squad or give a final goodbye to those destined for the exit. Nasri is definitely among those fighting for a future in east London, his short term deal coming to an end this summer and his injury problems will not have done him any good at convincing the manager of handing him terms which keep him tied down for the foreseeable future. Not only that, but there has been a creative spark missing from the Hammers’ performances of late ad so Nasri and Lanzini’s comebacks should do them the world of good. Whether they feature against Southampton or not remains to be seen but options are always welcomed.