Issa Diop is battling to shake off a calf injury but David Moyes is hopeful he will feature in the Betway Cup match against Bournemouth at the weekend.
Diop has been absent from pre-season so far with an injury which he is understood to have picked up on the training pitch but hopes are rising that both he and Declan Rice will be available for the first game of the season against Newcastle.
They have both been notable absentees from the team since the friendlies started but we understand the plan is to hopefully give Diop some game time on Saturday against the relegated Cherries.
The likelihood is that Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna will start the game but a well-placed source on the backroom team told us it is hoped that Diop will feature at some stage with the first Premier League game of the season just a week later.
It’s ironic that he and Rice played 80 games last season but are rated just 50/50 for the new season before a ball has been kicked.
Could it be the fact rice and diop play every game without ever getting rested is probably the reason they are injured now?