West Ham attacker Lucas Perez could drop out of Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI for the clash with Fulham, according to Football.London.
The football news outlet claim that the 30-year-old, who earns £80,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), started the Hammers’ 3-2 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday but is now at risk of losing his spot in the team due to fitness concerns.
Football.London report that Perez sustained a nasty looking foot injury against Palace, hence his substitution at half-time, and is considered a fitness doubt for the clash with Fulham as a result.
OPINION
This is definitely a blow for Perez as he has patiently waited for his chance to shine since joining the club, and an unfortunate injury may see him stuck back on the sidelines. The 30-year-old is yet to complete 90 minutes for the Hammers in the league since joining from Arsenal and hasn’t really made a strong case for why he should be featuring more in the majority of his outings. Perez scored twice against Cardiff City during the 3-1 victory over them and probably felt it was the kick-start his Hammers career needed. However while Pellegrini may have subbed Perez during the clash with Palace due to him sustaining an injury, he was struggling to have any impact in the game anyway. With Andy Carroll back available and Perez’s likely replacement, then the player might not get another look-in soon if the Englishman does well against the struggling Cottagers. Carroll even if not at his best, maybe able to stake a claim when facing Fulham as their defensive record this season is awful to say the least.
