West Ham still monitoring Ghanaian midfielder's fitness

West Ham United may have welcomed Andre Ayew back from injury, but the club are still keeping a close eye on the attacker’s progress, head of Medical and Sports Science, StijnVandenbroucke, has revealed.

Having picked up a hamstring injury on his debut in August following a three-year move from Swansea City, the Ghanaian made a long-awaited comeback on Wednesday, coming on as a second half substitute in their 2-1 win over Chelsea in the League Cup.

“We have to keep doing things in the right way at the right time and the congested schedule this week is a challenge for the whole team, especially players coming back from injury.

“Andre spent some time in France during his rehab, where he played previously, and we worked closely with the medical department at Olympique Marseille. It was nice to have that cooperation.

“At the end of the day, though, it is down to the player to put in the hard work, not just in training and rehab but 24/7, work hard and recover hard.

“The most crucial phase is the next few games and training weeks. Finding a balance between training, progressive 'game time' and recovery is crucial in completing the work in progress.”

Ayew is expected to make his second league appearance for West Ham in Sunday’s clash with Everton at Goodison Park.