- West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic hopes Andy Carroll and Arthur Masuaku will be available to face Spurs on Friday
- Carroll has been missing for a fortnight with a groin problem
- Masuaku, however, was forced off in the Hammers’ last fixture against Stoke City
Slaven Bilic is hoping to have Andy Carroll and Arthur Masuaku fit to face Tottenham Hotspur on Friday evening.
The England centre-forward has missed West Ham United’s last two games with a groin problem, while the French full-back was forced off with a knock at Stoke City at half-time on Saturday.
However, the Hammers boss has revealed that both will train at Rush Green on Thursday with a view to being included in his matchday squad for the final London Stadium derby of the season.
“A few days before the Stoke game, Arthur got a knock on his foot and he didn’t train for a few days – nothing broken but it’s very sore,” Bilic revealed.
“He played against Stoke but he could only manage for 45 minutes, but he’s going to train [on Thursday] and then we’re going to decide for tomorrow night.
“Andy has trained individually for a couple of days now, he’s going to try today and then we will see.
“I hoped he was going to be OK for the Stoke game but he wasn’t so I don’t know. If you ask me in one hour [after training] then we will know, but not now, it is too early.”
While there was encouraging news regarding Carroll and Masuaku, the manager revealed less positive developments regarding Diafra Sakho.
The Senegal striker has endured a difficult season that has seen him appear just four times in the Premier League and total just 181 minutes on the pitch.
The No15 underwent back surgery in November and, after initially returning to training and Premier League duty, has now suffered a setback and will not appear again this term.
“In the beginning of pre-season, Sakho got injured, came back in the game against Spurs away, he played a bit and in the next game we played Man United away,” continued Bilic.
“He did his hamstring, and was out for the operation and was out for four or five months, he came back and now he has got another problem. It’s really a problem
“He’s not fit for tomorrow and again it’s his back and unfortunately he is out for the season. He’s been very unlucky.”
Tickets are still available for Friday’s eagerly-anticipated clash with Tottenham on the Ticket Exchange here.