Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri are both available for West Ham’s final Premier League game of the season, but the Englishman is unlikely to start at Watford, as quoted by the club’s official website.
Speaking ahead of our trip to Vicarage Road, the boss addressed the current state of the first-team, and revealed that only the long-term absentees Andriy Yarmolenko, Winston Reid and Andy Carroll are not in a condition where they can face the Hornets.
Beyond the trio – who have featured in a combined 24 matches for the Hammers this season – Pellegrini has a fully fit squad to chose from.
Should that see Nasri earn a spot in the matchday squad, it will be the first such occasion since he was an unused substitute against Chelsea, in a run that otherwise stretches back to 31 minutes against Huddersfield.
It could also lead to only his seventh appearance for the Irons since joining in the winter, and likely be one final shot for the Premier League winning midfielder to earn another contract in East London.
“Samir Nasri is fit,” Pellegrini confirmed. “He doesn’t have any problems, as is the case for most part of the squad.”
For Wilshere, the £13.5million-rated ace marked his eighth appearance of the term when he came off the bench last time out in our 3-0 win over Southampton, with the 27-year-old involved in Ryan Fredericks’ 72nd-minute strike.
He now finally seems to be over the ankle issue which has kept him on the sidelines for much of the season and forced Wilshere to undergo another surgery, with Pellegrini confirming that the former England international is “ready to start” a game, but stating that he will not be doing such on Sunday.
“Jack is ready to start, and he will be involved on the squad list this game exactly as he was for the last one,” the boss added. “For the minutes he played [against the Saints], he did very well.”
