Sign up to FREE email alerts from Football London - West Ham Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

What's the latest injury news, Slaven?

Mikey [Antonio] is back, he is fit. He played last week for the U23s as part of the plan for his recovery. He has been training with us for two and a half weeks now.

He joined us back training and he looks good and he looks ready. Yesterday, Cheikhou Kouyate and Andy Carroll started to train with us. We are going to see with them, especially Andy, he had a long lay-off since March.

Cheikhou has been out for a while too but it happened at the beginning of the pre-season for him.

Manuel Lanzini he is training separately, individually, and will be joining us on Monday so we should have a full squad back for Newcastle. For the Southampton game 100 per cent Mikey is back.

There was some harsh analysis after the United game, are you concerned?

I said after the game that, Ok, it's Man United and we should have done a bit better. Especially when it comes to the last few minutes.

We didn't give up, we did our best but it wasn't very smart and we crumbled. I wanted to find the balance between criticising and talking about what wasn't good because some if it wasn't good enough but on the other hand, you don't want to lose the confidence because of one defeat.

(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

We found the balance, we have looked good this week in training and then we want to approach the game against Southampton in a very positive mood, knowing what we have to do to get anything out of that game.

We are playing against a team that is doing well, they are consistent, no matter that they are changing managers but they are not changing players, they are doing well.

What the latest on William Carvalho?

I don't know what is with the ins and outs. It is very busy at the other clubs as well but I have left it to the board, the chairman, and the people who are involved in the ins and outs.

I am only concentrating on Southampton.

Karren Brady said 17 of 20 Premier League clubs are in favour of shortening the transfer window - are you?

Yes. It is mutal. Me and the club are on the same line and we would like it to happen.

Ironically, it would put the clubs even in a worse situation that you would still lose some players if clubs from abroad want them and you want to be able to replace them.

It would only protect us in terms that no other Premier League clubs can take your players. Like Coutinho, it can't stop Liverpool losing him but stop buying his replacment. For me it is a great idea, we are really starting the pre-season with one team and then when the season starts, some teams are losing like 30 per cent of the team and then its all new.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

For me, let's say before the first game of the season and definitely it should be across Europe. This is giving the people around Europe a lot of time to speculate, think, act and it definitely the hardest for managers.

Do you have sympathy with Klopp and Conte on Coutinho and Costa with your experience with Payet?

Of course I have. What you asked before, that would stop these kinds of moves.

You want to have your team and be concentrate only on the game but you cant. Of course I have sympathy for them. Sometimes you are on the other side, a position where you get the player, but it definitely doesn't help.

Do players have too much power?

Yeah but what is very important and what gives you strength as a manager and as a club is the strength of the other side, you're on the same line as the board and chairman, that is important because you, the manager the chairman and the club first of all becomes really powerful.

Has the balance gone too far?

I don't know, you know better than me. As much as I know the power is too much on the side of the players and the agents. It's hard for the managers. I was a few times in that situation but I never recommend a player, I never suggest or ask from a player or advise them to stop training. No, that is low. And it shouldn't be like that.

One positive was Declan Rice, you must have been happy?

Although it is nice to have those situations, a bonus lets say, we are never trying to force it. I didn't go OK lets put him in to gain everything, but he is a boy. Very mature for his age, very good for his age he is thinking about the game plus the quality definitely he impressed everybody - players, staff, West Ham family and me of course.

He wasn't in the plans from the beginning. He was there [pre-season] and it was still very important for him to play pre-season games and he did really well.

(Image: Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)

It's too early for the kid but he is improving, he really is. Ok, we had some injuries and players are coming back soon or now in midfield - but he came on against Man Utd because I was confident that he can do it. Like I asked, and he did already previously.

He came on against Burnley last season and it was an important game, Burnley tried to equalise and he came on as the best option so Rice still it can go either way. I don't want to praise him too much despite he and his family being totally down to earth, he will stay focused. He is still at the beginning, very low on the scale but he is doing well.

What is the latest with Manuel Lanzini to Liverpool and does he have a price tag on his head?

"No, I am not worried [about Lanzini leaving]. I got it from the papers, the news. That's it.

"But, I said it last week when we spoke about it before Man Utd game. I speak to Manu every day and he is very happy. He really feels at home here, he feels wanted.

"You can see it, you don't have to talk to the player but you see he is smiling, he is happy. He broke into the Argentina team, he got a call-up for the September games so he knows that if he plays for West Ham I have a chance to improve, sign a better contract with West Ham and play for Argentina. He is very happy.

"I don't want to set a price tag on him, I am sure he is going to stay with us.

"He knows that he is wanted. As I said, the chairman and the board, when he was on loan we took the option even before we had to, we activated it. He was voted players player of the year which is a good thing and he feels wanted at the place. He likes it here."