West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that Kurt Zouma is ‘ahead of schedule’ as he looks to regain fitness.
In early December, the Hammers centre-back sustained a hamstring tendon injury.
With fellow central defender Angelo Ogbonna suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury just the month before, many West Ham fans will likely be hoping for a smooth and swift return to fitness for Zouma.
While speaking about the player on The West Ham Way podcast, having talked up Ben Johnson’s chances of an early return to the side, ExWHUemployee has also suggested that very well may be on the cards for the Frenchman.
He explained that the club decided not to operate on Zouma and that has paid off, as he won’t be out for as long as was first feared.
ExWHUemployee said: “Zouma is ahead of schedule as well. I mean, he’s not available for selection [against Tottenham Hotspur], but obviously, his injury was a longer-term one.
“I mean, I don’t want to put a date on it, but they had the option of doing an operation on his knee or letting him recover naturally from it, and they sided with letting it be a natural recovery.
“Apparently he is ahead of schedule. I mean, obviously, he’s still gonna be out for, I would say, maybe another month at least.
“But certainly not looking like the whole season, which was what was first feared when he did the injury, which is good news.”
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The Hammers paid big money for Zouma in the summer transfer market – a reported fee in the region of £30m – and they would have hoped to have seen immediate returns on their investment.
On the football field, that is exactly what they have got. Before his injury, the Frenchman had played in 11 league games in a row, with his form helping the club in their push for European football, not conceding more than once to any of the teams currently below them and popping up with the winner over title chasers Liverpool in early November.
As mentioned earlier, with Ogbonna out injured, the club will want Zouma back as soon as possible. After all, they have failed to win any of the three games in all competitions he has been absent for.
In other news: ‘He can do it on the international stage’ – Ex reveals West Ham eyeing ‘interesting’ transfer