Slaven Bilic believes Alex Song’s quality means West Ham United will not be taking a risk by signing him, even though the Barcelona midfielder is yet to pass a medical following an ankle operation.

Song spent last season on loan at the club and is expected to sign a permanent three-year contract if he proves his fitness. West Ham made the 27-year-old one of their primary targets at the start of the summer and reached an agreement with Barcelona to sign him on a free transfer, only for the deal to hit a stumbling block when Song injured his ankle during pre-season.

Bilic, however, said the problem is not a major issue and West Ham’s manager is confident the medical will pass smoothly. “Every player you sign is a risk,” Bilic said. “Players get injured. What is important for me is the report of his progress after his operation. That is why we waited so long. He is on our list from the start of the transfer window. He got injured and we wanted to limit the risk.

“How? By waiting a little bit to see how he is going to recover from his operation a few weeks ago and now it looks like from the reports that he is doing really well. He is ahead of schedule. It wasn’t a major operation in the first place. With any player it is a risk but we are very confident. Based on the reports, the risk is practically only theoretical and it’s Alex Song, so I will risk that.”

Bilic said Song will not be available for selection until after the upcoming international break and dismissed fears the Cameroon international will need time to improve his physical condition after his disrupted pre-season. “It’s not tomorrow, of course,” he said. “After the international break; then we will see when he starts training with us. His rehabilitation is also going to be part of his pre-season, in terms of running and all that.”

Song was outstanding for West Ham in the first half of last season but his form dipped badly after Christmas and he was even dropped by Sam Allardyce in March. Bilic, however, has faith in his ability.

“I have been asked that question many times but in my opinion it wasn’t just Alex, it was many players,” he said. “To be fair, maybe two or three of them kept that level of performance. Maybe Adrián, Aaron Cresswell, maybe one or two more, but not four or five more, so it wasn’t just Alex Song.

“In the first six months, he was exceptional. He was brilliant. If we can get him to stretch it for the whole season, it would be crucial for him.”