West Ham’s record-signing Lucas Paqueta is “very close” to making a return.
That is according to Ben Dinnery who has informed GIVEMESPORT that the Brazilian international could be back in time for the Hammers’ Europa Conference League tie against FCSB on Thursday.
Dinnery’s latest admission indicates that Paqueta could not just make the squad, but also get some minutes under his belt.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the injury expert said: “Everything that we know, up until this point, indicates that he should be very close for Thursday. If not, then we’re maybe looking at Sunday.”
Promise over Paqueta
Having achieved 14 or more attacking returns in back-to-back Ligue 1 seasons, you can see why West Ham made Paqueta their club-record signing.
Despite a lack of end product in his embryonic spell at the London Stadium so far, his lack of returns is not for a lack of trying.
Averaging around 1.1 shots on target per 90 in the Premier League, the Brazilian has been active in the final third, with this total representing a squad-topping metric in comparison to the rest of the squad.
His technical ability is there for all to see and many fans would argue that he brings a certain level of energy to the side that is tough to replicate, with his average of 1.3 successful tackles per 90 contributing massively to his side winning the ball in the final third.
Overall, it’s a big plus-point for David Moyes to have £150k-per-week key man Paqueta back at his disposal due to the stability he brings.
