Rush Green training ground was a hive of activity on Monday as West Ham United’s men’s first-team squad returned for pre-season training ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
Head Coach Graham Potter and his staff welcomed the players back for a morning of medical testing followed by a first training session on the pitches in the afternoon.
There were smiles and high-fives as the squad was reunited after the summer break, with senior internationals being joined by returning loanees, all wearing their smart new BOYLE Sports Training Wear.
Captain and newlywed Jarrod Bowen, Hammer of the Year Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paquetá and Tomáš Souček were all there, as were Young Hammer of the Year Ollie Scarles, returning loanees Nayef Aguerd, Maxwel Cornet, George Earthy, Krisztián Hegyi, Callum Marshall and Freddie Potts.
Performance Director Richard Collinge and his team oversaw the medical testing as the players underwent a range of checks and screening before getting down to work in the gym.
Collinge explained the process: “The first day of pre-season is always important as it allows us to get our baseline data for the season ahead, which we can then refer to throughout the campaign.
“We therefore carry out a number of tests to establish benchmarks which we can refer to throughout the season, enabling us to recognise any potential medical issues and address them before they lead to injury.
“To do this, each player underwent ECG and echo tests for heart function and blood tests to look for any deficiencies that can help the medical staff/nutritionists to supplement in order to optimise performance.
“Each player was also assessed with bed-based musculoskeletal (MSK) tests looking at range of motion of specific joints to identify any restrictions that may promote injury, and gym tests to look at the strength and power characteristics of high-risk muscle groups.
“We also carried out mandatory baseline concussion tests before completing our testing with pitch-based fitness tests. All in all, it was a busy morning for the players and staff!”
Prior to taking to the pitch, the squad and staff gathered for a minute’s silence in memory of Liverpool and Portugal winger Diogo Jota and his brother and fellow footballer André Silva, who tragically passed away in a car crash in Spain on 3 July.
This week will be spent at Rush Green before the Hammers fly to southern Germany for a week-long training camp that will conclude with a pre-season match against Grasshopper Club Zürich across the border in Switzerland on Saturday 19 July.
After a short period back in London, the Irons will travel to the Premier League Summer Series in the United States, where we will face Manchester United, Everton and AFC Bournemouth in a four-team pre-season tournament, with double-header fixtures to be played in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta. Tickets are now on General Sale for all three matches HERE.
West Ham will complete pre-season with the visit of French club LOSC Lille to London Stadium for the Boyle Sports Cup on Saturday 9 August at 3pm. Tickets for the game are available HERE.
