Slaven Bilic’s lethargic West Ham United midfield could get the shot in the arm it so desperately needs ahead of the trip to Burnley next week.
The Hammers have won just two of their seven Premier League games so far this season.
And one of those was the last gasp 1-0 victory over Swansea City which may just have kept Bilic in the job.
But many Hammers fans feel that win – which lifted the club up to 15th in the table going into the last international break of the year – merely papered over the cracks.
For months, stretching way back into last season, West Ham have looked slow, ponderous and pedestrian after turning over possession and generally lack energy and pace, particularly in the heart of midfield.
Homegrown captain Mark Noble has taken the brunt of the criticism with his lack of pace a real issue given West Ham have a selection of players very much set up for counter attacking football.
Well a solution could be on the horizon after Bilic received a welcome update from the treatment room with the news that young star Edimilson Fernandes should be back to face Burnley after the international break.
Fernandes has been out since spraining an ankle in training just three games into the season.
And his energy, enthusiasm and pace has been sorely missed with Cheikhou Kouyate struggling for form, Pedro Obiang injured and Noble deemed not good enough by many.
A bargain £5 million signing last summer, Fernandes was one of the only success stories of a terrible year of transfers at West Ham.
While he has not fully established himself as a consistent performer, the Swiss starlet is well-liked by supporters and Bilic alike.
“Edimilson Fernandes is a real positive,” Bilic told the Evening Standard last year.
“He was the one who wanted the ball in dangerous areas and was not afraid to turn and hurt people, either with passes or by travelling with the ball. He is a big plus.”
And he will be just that again if he returns for the game at Turf Moor against an in-form Burnley, as Gary Lewin’s update on the club’s official website suggests.
“Edimilson Fernandes is back in full training with the group and will work on building up his fitness over the coming days,” Lewin told whufc.com.
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