Saints record signing, striker Guido Carrillo, at £19.2m January signing from Monaco, has failed to score in nine appearances since his arrival with Manolo Gabbiadini managing four goals in 10 Premier League games.
Injury-prone Austin has been missing since and, although a kind of Saints Andy Carroll, is top scorer for the club in the last two seasons.
Hughes has made it clear he wants to Austin playing at at West Ham but he needs to prove his fitness over the next four days in training.
If he plays we know what that means. A hyper motivated revengeful player who always does well (and score) against us…