'Clearly isn't available' - Nuno explains mystery West Ham absence

A couple of forgotten men are battling to make their returns to the West Ham United squad when Queens Park Rangers arrive at the London Stadium on Friday night.

Edson Alvarez and Soungoutou Magassa are available for selection again, following the uncertainty of the summer window.

Alvarez has not even had a spot on the bench since he started in the 3-1 victory over Portsmouth in early-August. Magassa hasn’t played a competitive minute since May, but may fancy his chances of ending that wait tomorrow with fellow Frenchman Mohamadou Kante suspended.

At his pre-match press conference, Nuno confirmed that Tomas Soucek and Joel Veltman are fit again. ‘Today’, the West Ham United boss said, ‘is the only time the squad is complete’. Well, almost complete.

Keiber Lamadrid hasn’t played a league match for West Ham United since September 1st

There is the mystery of Keiber Lamadrid’s extended absence. A mystery Nuno has now provided an answer for, ripping off the mask and revealing that the Venezuela international has been carrying an injury behind the scenes.

“The only player who clearly isn’t available [due to fitness issues] is Keiber Lamadrid.”

The £1 million summer signing from Deportivo la Guaira has only featured twice this term. Once off the bench against Wolves and once against Southampton in the Carabao Cup. He has not been part of the matchday squad for each of the last two Championship fixtures, seemingly owing to a lack of fitness.

With Arne Engels, Divine Mukasa, Lewis Orford and the returning Soucek all seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, no wonder Lamadrid’s situation is a cause for concern back home in Venezuela.

The most frustrating part in all of this is that Lamadrid actually had a promising pre-season. Featuring heavily during the club’s four friendly fixtures, the 22-year-old slotted into a probing, progressive central midfield role pretty nicely. But when he is ready to return from that as-yet unspecified injury, it is hard to see where the next chance is coming from.

Maybe in the FA Cup in faraway January? Perhaps, in a best-case scenario, when the fixture schedule becomes increasingly packed, forcing Nuno to make full use of his squad. Until then, what should have been a breakout season for Lamadrid is turning into an opportunity missed.