Under pressure West Ham take on relegation rivals Southampton next week.
The Premier League returns with a huge game at the bottom end of the table at the end of the month when West Ham take on Southampton.
The Saints led by new manager Mark Hughes are hoping to haul themselves out of the relegation zone and leapfrog the Hammers, who are just two points above them.
West Ham are a club on the brink of crisis right now after protests in the last game at the London Stadium, and co-owner David Sullivan will not be pleased by the latest injury news on Southampton’s part.
Saints forward Charlie Austin returned to full training this week after a 14 week injury lay-off following a hamstring tear, the club confirmed yesterday.
He is eligible to start this coming weekend, and the timing could not be worse for West Ham.
Austin has played and scored a winner against the Hammers in the past for Southampton, and he will be desperate to do the same next weekend.
Southampton’s desperate predicament of their own should give Austin all the motivation he needs when the teams clash, but the chance to pile it on West Ham should fuel him further.
For Hammers owners Gold and Sullivan at present, everything which can be going wrong appears to.
Austin’s untimely return from injury alone is an ominous sign.
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