Irons striker needs more recovery time

The exciting frontman is recovering from surgery on a bowel obstruction in the summer and may need a longer than at first expected.

There were predictions that he may have been available for the next round of the Carabao Cup had the Hammers not suffered a horror night at Oxford.

That would have been later this month – probably on the 29th of October – but the club medical staff are being very careful with the player after a major op.

It takes any person around three months to fully recover but for a major athlete more time would obviously be needed for him to get back given the necessity to attain full physical fitness ahead of a return to action

We were told by a club insider: “Xande will be given all the time he needs. Yes there had been hopes for this month but that’s unlikely and we are looking to next month or possibly December.”