£27.5 million West Ham star expected to return before the Arsenal fixture

Niclas Fullkrug has been sidelined due to his achilles injury for around two months now, however, the new £27.5 million star striker is yet to return to West Ham's matchday squad. Fullkrug has had several injuries previously in his playing career, thus, a lot of West Ham fans are still wondering why did the Hammers decided to sign him instead of bringing in a young striker during the transfer window.

On top of that, the 31-year-old’s absence has hindered West Ham's performance as Julen Lopetegui's side have often looked unconvincing with their finishing and decision making inside the box. The Hammers have a lot of massive league matches coming in the next five matchdays, and West Ham need a few wins against top teams such as Manchester United, Newcastle United and Arsenal to boost their top-six finish ambitions.

£27.5 million West Ham star expected to return before the Arsenal fixture

While Fullkrug is highly likely to be unavailable against Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United, the Germany international could return for the Newcastle United and the big home game against Premier League title favourites Arsenal. Recently, trusted journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed an expected return date for Fullkrug suggesting that the striker can return against Newcastle United, saying,

"His Achilles tendon injury is persistent, but he is expected to return to the pitch in the coming days and should be back in the squad after the international break."

- Florian Plettenberg

Plettenburg highlighted that Fullkrug could join West Ham’s team training after the November international break, and could play against the Magpies in the next match. If manager Julen Lopetegui decides to start him as a second-half substitute in that match to gradually find his best form, Fullkrug would be highly likely to start against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

That fixture is a big game for West Ham, and thus, they would want to pick up a few wins before that match to improve their position in the league table. The first of those games is against Manchester United where it remains to be seen whether West Ham can secure the three points at the London Stadium.