West Ham United have been handed a huge injury boost concerning the return of Kurt Zouma.

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That's according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that the centre-back, who picked up a hamstring tendon injury in the 3-2 win over Chelsea at the beginning of the month, is ahead of of schedule in his return to first-team action.

The insider also went on to reveal that the France international did not undergo surgery after sustaining his knock, with the club opting to take the "natural recovery route" for the 27-year-old defender.

In his post, Ex said: "Another who is ahead of schedule is Kurt Zouma. Although no return date is set, the club have opted to go down the 'natural' recovery route with him, meaning he'll avoid surgery."

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the West Ham side Zouma has become since his £29.8m move to the London Stadium this summer, the news that the centre-back is ahead of schedule in his return from injury is sure to have left Hammers fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Premier League appearances so far this season, the £28.8m-rated man has helped his side keep two clean sheets and has scored one goal, as well as making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.6 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning 60% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £120k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 6.91, ranking him as David Moyes' 12th-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, it is undoubtedly a case of the sooner Zouma returns the better for West Ham's top-four hopes in the current campaign, meaning that the news the 27-year-old appears to be ahead of schedule in his return from injury is certainly a major boost for everyone involved with the club.

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