West Ham United insider @ExWHUemployee has recently aired an injury update on Hammers defender Arthur Masuaku.
So far this season, the DR Congo left-back has featured in all of the Irons’ Premier League fixtures bar the opening game of the season against Newcastle United (per Transfermarkt).
Over those outings, Masuaku has not managed to score a goal for David Moyes’ side, but he has provided one assist.
While the 27-year-old had been due to feature for DR Congo during the international break, he failed to do so, before it was revealed by Claret and Hugh that he did not play because of an injury issue.
During the latest episode of The West Ham Way Podcast, @ExWHUemployee provided an update on all of West Ham’s injured players and aired the latest on Masuaku.
He said: “Masuaku didn’t go to his international with the Democratic Republic of Congo; he didn’t go to their fixture. He does have a knee injury.
“That is something that is triggered by playing on hard pitches. So, I think that the club have to declare that he has got an injury, so, I think they said he has a slight knee injury.
“Technically, you can’t pull out of a fixture by just saying that you don’t want to get injured potentially. So, they would have gone down that route.
“Now, obviously, I can’t prove whether he didn’t have a slight knee injury, but it [was] something that he [was] advised not to do.
“He is so committed to playing for West Ham at the moment that he doesn’t want to get injured and for that to be affected.”
TIF Thoughts on @ExWHUemployee’s injury update on Arthur Masuaku…
As can be seen in what the in-the-know podcaster had to say, it seems that the injury issue which prevented Masuaku from playing for DR Congo is not all that serious.
Would you say that Arthur Masuaku is becoming a key player for West Ham?
No, I don't rate him
Yes, he's a solid player
In seven league outings so far this season, the 27-year-old defender has been West Ham’s sixth-best player having earned a 7/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
The £6.75m-rated man has made the fifth-most key passes (0.9) and the third-most passes (43) per league match on average for the Irons so far this term.
So, it is clear that he is a key player for the Hammers on the ball and, therefore, it is good news for Moyes if the player will be available to face Sheffield United on Sunday.