West Ham United playmaker Samir Nasri is fit to start against Manchester City on Wednesday having been an unused substitute against Fulham on Friday, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news source claims that the Frenchman is fit enough to make his much-anticipated return from injury against his former side.
The 31-year-old hasn’t played since facing Bournemouth mid way through January, but looks set to be involved in a starting capacity against Pep Guardiola’s team.
Claret & Hugh’s report states that either Robert Snodgrass or Mark Noble will likely make way for Nasri at the Etihad Stadium.
OPINION
This is a massive boost for West Ham and their chances against the champions on Wednesday. Nasri has only played three games for the Hammers, but he looked lively and like he was on his way back to his best in every one of them. He’ll undeniably be rusty on Wednesday, so perhaps it would be better if he came off the bench, but Claret & Hugh appear to believe that he’ll start the match. Whether that ends up being true or not remains to be seen, but it’ll be a positive if he is involved in any capacity nonetheless. He is an excellent footballer, very technically gifted, which is what Manuel Pellegrini looks for in his players. He certainly fits the mould of what the Chilean is looking for more than Pedro Obiang or Andy Carroll, for example. City will be a huge test for him if he does start, and it might be better to wait for another game before throwing him in at the deep end, but we’ll see what Pellegrini decides to do.
