West Ham United centre-back Craig Dawson is back in training following an unusual double dead leg injury.
The former West Bromwich Albion and Watford centre-back has missed the Hammers’ last four matches in all competitions, the latest of those being Thursday’s 1-0 win over Silkeborg in the Europa Conference League.
On October 9, Dawson suffered a dead leg injury during the 3-1 win over Fulham but was named on the bench for their Europa Conference League tie with Anderlecht four days later with Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer, and Nayef Aguerd all absent.
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Angelo Ogbonna was the only natural centre-back to start in that game but came off with a hamstring concern in the first half, forcing Dawson to come on despite being injured.
During that 2-1 win, Dawson suffered a second dead leg injury to the same leg following a collision with midfielder Flynn Downes, forcing him to go off, and West Ham ended the game with a makeshift centre-back trio of Ben Johnson, Declan Rice, and Emerson.
Speaking on Dawson, Moyes admitted that he is back in training and starting to improve but is not fully fit yet.
"He had a dead leg and we brought him on (against Anderlecht),” Moyes told football.london. “Angelo came off after five minutes and he actually got another dead leg just below the one he had.
"He actually ran into Flynn (Downes) on the same leg and I’ve actually got to say, his leg was really, really swollen. Even the first one, we probably wouldn't have used him if we weren’t short of centre halves and we were. He’s doing better, he’s back training. Is he fit? Not sure yet, not sure yet.”
With Dawson back in training, West Ham will hope to have him back in action as soon as possible before the season pauses for next month’s World Cup in just over a fortnight’s time.
Asked about the defender, Moyes said in an ideal world, he would not use Dawson in Sunday’s trip to face Manchester United at Old Trafford, but with wingers Jarrod Bowen (ankle) and Maxwel Cornet (calf) and midfielder Lucas Paqueta (collarbone) all injured and centre-back Aguerd only just returning from a long-term ankle injury, he may be forced to rush Dawson back.
“Probably too soon,” Moyes added. “In an ideal world, too soon but it all depends on how my boys are looking once I get the full stuff after today.”
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