West Ham striker sends message after four straight Nuno omissions

Niclas Füllkrug has posted an image of himself back in West Ham United training despite failing to feature in any of the club’s four public pre-season friendlies.

The situation remains unresolved, with Nuno Espírito Santo seemingly leaving the German outside his plans ahead of the Championship season.

Füllkrug shared the training image on Instagram after West Ham completed their public pre-season schedule against Magdeburg.

The 33-year-old has trained at Rush Green this summer and did feature in a behind-closed-doors game against Colchester United, scoring as West Ham won 3-2.

However, he was subsequently absent against Southend United, Stevenage, Rangers and Magdeburg.

That run of omissions looks increasingly significant.

Niclas Füllkrug West Ham future remains unclear

Füllkrug’s Instagram post proves he remains involved in training, but there is currently no evidence that his absence from matches is injury-related.

The situation is particularly interesting because reports only last week claimed the striker had been training separately from Nuno’s main group.

Claret & Hugh reported on 25 July that Füllkrug was expected to leave and had been working alone after being omitted from the Stevenage squad.

ReadWestHam also previously examined how uncertainty around Füllkrug had opened opportunities for West Ham’s other strikers during pre-season.

His latest training appearance therefore raises an obvious question.

Has something changed, or is Füllkrug simply being kept fit while West Ham search for a permanent solution?

There is no evidence from the Instagram post itself that the German is unhappy with Nuno.

However, a senior striker posting himself training after being overlooked for four consecutive public friendlies will inevitably attract attention.

Füllkrug remains contracted until 2028 after returning from his loan spell at AC Milan.

West Ham have also continued exploring the striker market during the summer, increasing the feeling that Nuno is preparing for a future without him.

Until either the club or the player explains the situation, the training post only adds another layer of intrigue around one of West Ham’s biggest unresolved squad decisions.