'He is out': Julen Lopetegui says 'top-class' West Ham player will miss Saturday's Tottenham clash
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West Ham United head to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday for the day’s early Premier League kick-off.
Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers will be taking on Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs at N17, with both sides eager to kick on after tricky starts to the season.
West Ham currently sit 12th in the table and have just two wins to their name in the league this season, though their last result was a resounding 4-1 win over Ipswich.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have blown hot and cold this season, recording such emphatic results as a 3-0 win at Manchester United, but they capitulated in a 3-2 loss at Brighton last time out.
On Thursday, Lopetegui held his pre-match press conference, confirming that a “top-class” West Ham player will be absent for the game due to injury.
Niclas Fullkrug set to miss West Ham trip to Tottenham
The player in question is Niclas Fullkrug, who has missed West Ham’s last five games in all competitions.
The Germany international suffered an injury in his calf and Achilles area while on international duty in September.
When asked for team news by Sky Sports News, Lopetegui said, as per the West Ham website: “It is true that we have a lot of players in a lot of countries and right now we don’t have them all here.
“Until the last moment we will not be all together, which is always difficult, but it happens to a lot of teams and not only us, so we have to be able to manage this and be ready for the next match.
“I think that Fullkrug is out, but I am going to meet with the rest and we don’t have bad news about them.”
Lopetegui went on to explain that Fullkrug has had complications in his road back from injury, so he cannot give a timescale as to when he could be back.
“He initially thought he had one non-important injury, but he has had complications and we are waiting to recover him,” the West Ham boss continued.
“We thought he would be out for a maximum of two weeks, but right now he is out and I don’t say anything about how long he will be out. We will see.”
READ MORE:West Ham's Crysencio Summerville buzzing over news out of Tottenham Hotspur
How Fullkrug has fared for West Ham since summer move
Fullkrug joined West Ham to considerable fanfare this summer, arriving from Borussia Dortmund for a fee reportedly worth £27million.
Mark Schwarzer named Fullkrug as his most exciting Premier League summer signing, as per the Premier League website.
"He's over 30, but is a top-class player and fits the mould of a West Ham player,” said Schwarzer.
Fullkrug was eased into action at the start of the season, coming off the bench in West Ham’s opening three league games, and also started in the Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth.
He is yet to score for the Hammers, but he did score for Germany in their 5-0 Nations League win over Hungary on 7 September.
Fullkrug shone for Dortmund in their run to the Champions League final and scored for Germany at Euro 2024.
