West Ham United striker Xande Silva will be returning to the under-23 side for their game against Derby County on April 15, according to Football London.
The news outlet reports that the 22-year-old is edging ever closer to a return to action, but he will not be fit and available for the youth side’s fixture against Leicester City this coming Sunday.
Silva – who cost £1.8 million from Vitoria de Guimaraes last summer – has been suffering from a hernia problem that has kept him on the sidelines for the under-23s, but he is now set to be back for their penultimate clash of the season after scoring seven goals in six appearances earlier on in the campaign.
OPINION
This would be a major boost indeed for the under-23 side. The report says that they are being dragged into the relegation battle, and having him back for one of their last games is just the boost they need to ensure themselves of safety for next term. Seven goals in six matches is quite an impressive record, so it was no wonder he found himself flirting with Manuel Pellegrini’s plans, with the FA Cup win against Birmingham City being his most recent outing for the senior side. Having him in the first team squad would have alleviated Pellegrini’s striker headache somewhat, especially with the likes of Andy Carroll, Lucas Perez and Marko Arnautovic not really being amongst the goals lately. Either way, his return is just what the under-23s need at this stage of the season. The last thing they need is to be relegated, so it looks like Silva is returning just in time.
