It appears West Ham have once again been bitten by the dreaded international duty injury curse.
International breaks also present a very frustrating and nervous time for fans. Frustrating because, particularly in September, we’re forced to have another two week break from club football just a few weeks after the season started, and nervous because there is always a chance one of our best players could pick up an injury.
And the latter appears to be the case right now, with reports that Niclas Fullkrug has picked up an injury just 15 minutes into a training session with Germany.
That’s according to Sky Sport Germany journalist, Kerry Hau, who posted a video of Fullkrug leaving training on his X account on Monday evening.
Hau reported that it appeared to be “problems with his achilles tendon and calf” and that it is “very unlikely that the striker will play against the Netherlands.
It was later revealed by West Ham insider Sean Whetstone that Fullkrug’s injury was a problem with his achilles.
Fullkrug scored the opener in Germany’s 5-0 Nations League thrashing of Hungary on Saturday but is now on his way back to London sooner than expected.
Slow start for Fullkrug at West Ham
Fullkrug’s arrival in the summer sparked excitement amongst the fanbase, although there was also the inevitable caution given the club’s well documented Premier League striker curse. Would the Germany international be the one to finally end it?
So far, the striker has showed signs of promise, but has had to make do with three three appearances off the bench in the Premier League, meaning he hasn’t really had a proper opportunity to stamp his authority on a game just yet.
He did start in the Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth last month, although that particular match was tepid and lacked any kind of quality or attacking intent from either side, as Fullkrug spent much of the game isolated up front.
So it has been a slow start for the German, and while there was an eagerness for Lopetegui to hand him his first Premier League start against Fulham this weekend, we may have to wait a little longer before we see Fullkrug at his very best.
The striker has been relatively injury free over the last few seasons, missing just nine games for Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund and the German national team since the 2021/2022 campaign.
Many were hoping to see Fullkrug from the start for the first time this weekend but, as we wait for more information, let’s hope it’s not too serious and we’re left relying on Michail Antonio to score the goals up front.
