Irons unlikely to sell player as speculation starts

Speculation the Hammers are ready to sell Arthur Masuaku back to Olympicaos appears to be wide of the mark given the player’s difficult recent injury issues from which he is now recovering.

Stories this morning claim Slaven Bilic is keen to sell the 23-year-old, and his former side in Athens have first refusal on any future deal.

However, the report appears at the same time as the official website has conducted a full interview with the left back in which he fully explains his current position.

He said: “I was out for a while with knee ligament damage and it was my first serious injury so it was a tough time for me. You have to wait for the ligaments to heal and it was very frustrating.

“You can run and can do everything but no work with the ball so it was hard at the time. I tried to stay strong and to stay positive. I feel much better now and am back training with the first-team.”

He has joined the squad on its trip to the Dubai sun and co chairman David Gold has regularly praised him as being a player for the future.

The co chairman said: “He is  a young player and will get better can only get better. I like him and see him having a great future.”