Report: West Ham could be boosted by return of 26-year-old for Southampton clash

West Ham United could have full-back Arthur Masuaku available when they host Southampton in a huge match for the Londoners on Saturday afternoon, according to Football.London.

The Hammers were without the defender for the 3-2 loss at Liverpool on Monday night, with the Congolese man missing out through illness.

It was unsure at the time how long the left-back would be out for, with fears he could miss more of the big matches that are on the horizon for West Ham, however those concerns appear to be unfounded, and he could even be straight back into the squad to face the Saints.

The Hammers are entering a crucial part of their season, as they fight to avoid the drop into the Championship, and boss David Moyes will be eager to have as many of his squad available for those matches as possible.

After the clash with Southampton, West Ham are back in with the bigger guns in the Premier League in contests they are going to have to take points from, in order to give themselves as much of a chance of remaining in the top flight as they possibly can.

Should Masuaku be fit to face the Saints at the London Stadium, it will be interesting to see if he goes straight back into the side, after both the Hammers full-backs performed pretty well at Anfield despite the defeat.

The 26-year-old has been inconsistent at times this term, something that has come under scrutiny from a lot of West Ham fans, many of whom would not be too disappointed to see him miss out once again, with Aaron Cresswell continuing in his place.

All eyes are likely to be on the team sheet Moyes hands in on Saturday, to see if he has brought Masuaku straight back into his starting XI or not.