OPINION
Aside from metronomic midfielder Declan Rice, the one player the West Ham United supporters don’t want to lose to injury is goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
However, that is the reality for the Hammers faithful this summer, with a persistent groin niggle sparking fears that the Poland international could miss Saturday’s Premier League opener against Manchester City.
However, reliable Hammers news source Claret & Hugh reported on Wednesday that those at the club are hopeful the 34-year-old will be fit for the game, with Friday being the key day for assessing him.
The Irons fans will surely be breathing a huge sigh of relief at that update, because Fabianski is absolutely integral to the success of Manuel Pellegrini’s side, especially against the free-scoring champions.
The former Swansea City man didn’t pick up the Hammer of the Year award last term for nothing, after all. He enjoyed an absolutely spell-binding debut campaign in east London.
As per WhoScored.com, Fabianski averaged a total of 3.8 saves per game last season, a staggering workload that was more than the number of efforts he faced the season before as he was relegated behind a woeful Swans team.
Clearly he had to be alert constantly for the Hammers, especially with 2.3 of those shots coming from inside the penalty area. In many ways, it’s a surprise Manuel Pellegrini’s side didn’t concede more than 55 goals in the league last time out. Without Fabianski they surely would have.
So the thought that he might miss out against the most potent attacking force in the division is obviously a massively concerning one for the West Ham supporters. They’ll have their fingers crossed that he can make it, but this update has already provided them with welcome relief on that score.