Ghana midfielder ready to restart West Ham career against Everton

Andre Ayew is ready to start his West Ham career for a second time after working his way back from the thigh injury suffered after just 35 minutes of his debut.

The Hammers paid a club record £20.5million to bring the Ghana international from Swansea in the summer but were dealt a major blow when he went off at Chelsea on the opening weekend.

It was initially feared Ayew would require surgery and be sidelined for four months, but, after deciding not to go under the knife, the winger has now worked his way back to fitness.

He played 12 minutes off the bench in Wednesday night’s 2-1 win over Chelsea in the EFL Cup and could feature again on Sunday in the Premier League at Everton.

Ayew said: ‘It was a difficult moment, but at the end of darkness you can see the light. I’m not a player who has had a lot of injuries in the past, but it is part of the game.

‘It was my first game and very tough for me to accept but I had to relax, do the treatment I had to do and work really hard to strengthen my leg again.

‘We just had to see different ideas from different specialists and we took the decision not to operate. It wasn’t easy but I knew the sacrifice that was ahead of me if I wasn’t doing the operation.

‘I was supposed to be out for a very long time, but the medical staff here have worked really hard and I want to thank them. I hope it is just the beginning.’

An operation would have meant a long spell on the sidelines with a new year return the best-case scenario.

Instead, Ayew had intensive rehab with the West Ham medical team.

And the result is a quicker than expected return and an appearance as a substitute against Chelsea in the 2-1 EFL Cup win at the London Stadium on Wednesday.

It was a welcome boost for manager Slaven Bilic, and Ayew said: “I know I’m ready to get out on the pitch. As soon as the gaffer needs me, I will be there.”

With a tough clash at Goodison Park against Everton this afternoon, Bilic needs all the firepower he can muster. “It was such a great feeling to be back against Chelsea,” added Ayew.

“I was supposed to be out for a very long time. But the medical staff here and in France worked really hard with me. Now I hope it is just the beginning.

“The injury in that first game was tough. I’m not a player who has had a lot of injuries. I just had to do the treatment to get the leg right again.