West Ham‘s best-laid defensive plans ahead of the clash with Southampton this evening could have been disrupted as Saints striker Danny Ings was pictured making an unexpected return to training.
The Hammers were already facing a daunting prospect on the south coast as David Moyes’ misfiring side looked to get back to winning ways against a well-drilled Southampton outfit.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have coped well without Ings, who despite his injury layoffs is still their highest Premier League scorer this season.
The 28-year-old former Liverpool man had been expected to miss out against the Hammers, with his manager all but ruling him out earlier this week. However, Monday’s pictures from Southampton’s ‘pre-West Ham workout’ show Ings seemingly fully involved in preparations.
The striker’s inclusion in the matchday squad would give Moyes cause for concern as the West Ham looks to get his team’s season back on track.
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It seems unlikely that Hasenhuttl would risk his most important striker just one day after his return to training – a not too dissimilar situation to the Michail Antonio predicament in which Moyes finds himself.
Both players are hugely influential to how their teams play but risking them so soon after recovering from injury layoffs poses huge risks of a recurrence, as the Hammers found out to their cost earlier this season.
All eyes will be on the Southampton lineup announcement at 5pm this evening to see whether the Irons have had the proverbial wool pulled over their eyes with Ings’ apparent unavailability.
