Cautious Sakho optimism

Slaven Bilic remains cautiously hopeful that Diafra Sakho will return to training fit and ready for pre-season after “encouraging” reports on his progress.

Nobody is getting over excited as there have been so many false starts following surgery on his back injury.

But there is optimism  that he will be ready for the start of the season under the care of the club’s new  top medic Gary Lewin.

Sake was given a strict fitness regime to follow during the summer break and reports the club have received since he left have according to one insider been “encouraging.”

A source said: “As we understand it things are going well with him and that is encouraging.”

Andy Carroll too is reported as pain free but neither of those situations will affect the relentless hunt for one or two strikers.

We were told: “Obviously the situation we have found ourselves in demands that we bring in new front men.

But were both Diafra and Andy to come back and remain at full fitness, hopefully – with the new boys – we would have a great crop of strikers to choose from.”