The claim made by a Brazilian journalist about talisman Lucas Paqueta is likely to provoke frustration and anger among West Ham fans.
West Ham’s start to the new year has been disappointing, marked by dull draws against Brighton and Bristol City due to numerous player unavailability issues. Lucas Paqueta, the Brazilian talisman, experienced a recurrence of a calf injury just 10 minutes into his comeback during the FA Cup draw with Bristol City.
This match also saw Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jarrod Bowen leaving the pitch due to injuries, compounding the challenges for the Hammers.
The setbacks, including Michail Antonio’s injury and the absence of Mohammed Kudus and Nayef Aguerd at AFCON, have cast a gloomy start to the new year for West Ham. These challenges have highlighted a deficiency in squad depth within David Moyes’ team.
David Moyes faced criticism from some fans for playing Lucas Paqueta in the game, and Moyes himself expressed frustration afterward. He seemed to place blame on the medical team, stating that he had been informed Paqueta was fit to play.
ESPN Brazil reporter Daniel Bocatto has made a claim about Lucas Paqueta’s injury that might anger West Ham fans. Bocatto asserted that the information he received last week indicated that Paqueta’s injury during the warm-up at Arsenal was considered ‘dangerous’ because it was located behind his left knee, posing a potential risk of complications in the ligaments and tendons in his leg.
According to Bocatto, despite the perceived risk in Lucas Paqueta’s injury behind his left knee, West Ham played him in the Arsenal game where he lasted 33 minutes. Bocatto claims that the team didn’t learn from this experience, as 10 days later, Paqueta started again against Bristol City “due to his insistence,” further exacerbating the injury.
Futbol Mundo, a Brazilian news outlet, are also reporting claims that Paqueta was rushed back and made the injury worse.