David Moyes has warned midfielder Edson Alvarez that his indiscipline is harming West Ham’s chances of qualifying for Europe.
Alvarez is available for the trip to Molineux this weekend having missed games against Tottenham and Newcastle because he picked up his tenth booking of the season against Aston Villa.
The Mexican arrived from Ajax last summer and has made an impressive start to life at the London Stadium having been given the tough task to fill some of the void left by Declan Rice.
Alvarez discipline costing West Ham?
The 26-year-old has been a big miss for the Hammers with the east Londoners taking just two points from the five games he’s missed this season, including last weekend’s capitulation against Newcastle.
Having just served a two game domestic suspension the Mexican will also miss the first leg of the Europa League quarter final against Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen next week.
West Ham currently sit seventh in the table and are right in the hunt to qualify for Europe next season, but Moyes has urged Alvarez to manage his temperament better.
The 60-year-old warned that due to size of the squad they can’t afford to be without too many players.
Speaking in his pre match press conference he said: “I think the intensity and the speed is probably where he’s still getting used to the Premier League,” said Moyes ahead of the trip to Molineux.
“For us, we’ve not got such a big squad where we can afford too many people to be out.
“We lost him earlier in the season through suspension, we’ve had him out now and we’ll lose him for the game in Leverkusen in midweek as well.
“It begins to have an effect on you that you’re losing him for so many games.
“He’s been booked too often. We need to try and find a way where he doesn’t put himself in that situation because it affects the team and it has done in recent weeks.”
The Mexican international has made 35 appearances in all competitions and has scored twice, once in the Premier League and once in the Europa League.
Moyes will hope that Alvarez’s return to the side will mean a return to winning ways having not won in their last four league games.