West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has confirmed club-record signing Andre Ayew will not be rushed back into competitive action despite the Ghanaian’s return to training this week.
The 26-year-old completed a £20.5million switch to the London Stadium from Swansea in August, but he picked up a thigh injury during the club’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on the opening weekend of the season.
Ayew did not require surgery on the problem and he returned to full first-team training on Monday, with Bilic confirming that it is a huge boost to his squad to have the Ghana international back in the fold.
“It is a big boost to have Andre Ayew back in training,” Bilic said. “He looks good and the medical team have done a great job. We are all delighted.”
The Croatian went on to confirm that Ayew will not be rushed back into competitive action, and he is unlikely to be included in the Hammers squad for Saturday’s home clash with bottom of the table Sunderland.
“We will try to prepare him for games as quickly as possible. We don’t want to rush things but it is great that he is back,” Bilic continued.
“He will probably not be in the squad for the game on Saturday.” West Ham have made an indifferent start to the season in Ayew’s absence, and they will head into Saturday’s match just one point outside the relegation zone.
The Hammers did secure a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace last time out and they are available at 1.70 to make it back-to-back victories on Saturday, while Sunderland are priced at 5.00 and the draw is on offer at 3.80.
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