Head of Medical and Sports Science Stijn Vandenbroucke issues his latest update – in association with Spire Roding...



Hello everyone,



I would like to start this week by congratulating Aaron Cresswell on being called-up to the England squad for the first time.



Not only is Aaron an outstanding player who deserves his call, but he also showed during his recent rehab what a fantastic professional he is.



He worked extremely hard to return from the knee injury he suffered in pre-season.



To be included in the England squad is a testament to his approach to his profession.



I would also like to congratulate Andre Ayew on being appointed captain of Ghana for their World Cup qualifier in Egypt this week. Andre also worked extremely hard on his rehab and made his first Premier League start for three months against Stoke City on Saturday.



Also, we congratulate Edimilson Fernandes on being named in the senior Switzerland squad for the first time.



We keep in regular contact with Aaron, Andre, Edimilson and all our international players during the final break of the year.



Diafra Sakho has been training with the first-team squad for the past two weeks and we hope he will be available for selection against Tottenham Stijn Vandenbroucke

Two players who were unfortunately unable to link up with their respective countries were James Collins and Winston Reid.



Ginge suffered a calf injury in the Stoke game and had to withdraw from the Wales squad. He will rehab with us this week and we hope he will be available for the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on 19 November.



Winston was injured towards the end of the Everton game. He is working on his rehab at Rush Green, having had to withdraw from the New Zealand squad.



On a more positive note, Diafra Sakho has been training with the first-team squad for the past two weeks, as you can see from the West Ham TV video above, and we hope he will be available for selection against Tottenham or the week after.



Andy Carroll is progressing well with his rehab, Gokhan Tore is closer to returning to train with the squad, while Sam Byram is working very well following his hamstring injury and has started running on the pitch this week with our head physiotherapist Dom Rogan.



Reece Oxford suffered a high ankle sprain in training before the Everton game and is currently using crutches as he is in the non-weight bearing phase of his rehab.



We wish all our international players the best and will continue to work with the players who have remained at Rush Green to prepare them for the busiest and most challenging part of the season ahead.



Stijn Vandenbroucke

Head of Medical and Sports Science