West Ham United have been rocked with a double blow ahead of Monday night’s Premier League clash against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Manager Graham Potter has confirmed that right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka will sit out the trip to Merseyside as he continues to recover from a stomach problem.
The 27-year-old started West Ham’s opening two games of the season but has not featured since the 5-1 loss against Chelsea at the London Stadium.
He was an unused substitute in the 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest, but didn’t make the squad for the back-to-back London derby defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.
Wan-Bissaka returned to training this week, but Potter admitted that the Everton game comes too soon for last season’s West Ham Player of the Year.
Soucek will also be forced to watch the game against Everton from the stands as he serves the second of a three-match suspension after receiving a straight red card against Tottenham.
Aside from those two, Potter should have a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of a fixture that could decide his future at the club.
“It will still be Aaron (Wan-Bissaka) missing,” Potter said in his pre-match press conference. “He’s struggling with a stomach issue, but everyone else is available.”
Potter believes he still has the backing of the board
West Ham travel to Merseyside on the back of an awful start to the season that has seen them lose four of their opening five Premier League games.
Their form has seen them slip into the bottom three, leaving Potter in a precarious position.
West Ham’s only win so far came in a hard-fought victory against Forest, but their performances have left a lot to be desired.
Potter is under intense pressure, but senior players at the club have reportedly rallied around the Englishman as they believe he’s still the right man for the job.
Potter also believes he still has the backing of the board despite his side’s wretched form.
“Yeah, of course (we have had talks), as we do every week. Positive talks,” he said. “But we all understand as well where we’re at, and we all want to improve.
“As I said before, no one’s happy with where we’re at. At the same time, you have to look at the context and the situation, and you have to not get caught up in the noise.
“We just focus on what we can control and not worry too much about time frames and things like that, that I can’t do anything about.”