West Ham United boss David Moyes has voiced his excitement at Maxwel Cornet nearing a return from his injury. But the Scot raises doubts over the winger featuring for a while yet.
The 26-year-old has been out of action since October 1 after a series of setbacks following a calf injury. He has sporadically appeared in training at Rush Green through the past four months. But Cornet has continued to be unavailable for Moyes over West Ham’s matches.
Moyes had only afforded Cornet his full Premier League bow for West Ham against Wolves when the 30-cap Ivory Coast star was forced off through injury. He headed for the London Stadium from Burnley in August after the Irons agreed to trigger his £17.5m release clause.
David Moyes expects Maxwel Cornet back at West Ham next week after his injury
Cornet has so far featured in just nine games, including five Premier League matches, since joining West Ham. His appearances also only total 420 minutes having now had to miss 21 fixtures across all competitions. And he could still face a while longer on the sidelines, too.
The length of the forward’s absence leaves question marks over his availability ahead of a return to full training. Moyes expects to have Cornet at Rush Green again next week. But the West Ham boss is unsure how the attacker will manage with a return to team sessions.
“We’re looking forward to that, I’ve got to say, looking forward to getting him back,” said Moyes, via quotes by football.london. “It seems like a long time since we’ve had him.
“We’re probably due him back next Monday, whether that means training or whether that means we’ve got periods of breaking him in. We’ll certainly have to build him to get back and be ready to play, that is for sure.”
Cornet offered five assists through his nine appearances for West Ham before suffering an injury against Wolves. He penned each assist in the Europa Conference League during two qualifying matches (2) and two Group B ties (3). He started in each of his games in Europe.
Moyes only started Cornet in one Premier League match against Wolves in October before his injury. The winger had also featured off the bench during West Ham’s top-flight fixtures with Nottingham Forest, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea and Everton for only 86 minutes.
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