West Ham United have been handed a big boost this week, with Gianluca Scamacca seemingly ready for a return to action after missing the last two games through illness.

The Italian forward, who signed from Sassuolo during the summer, missed the games against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea after picking up a throat infection, but he could be fit for West Ham's Europa Conference League opener against FCSB on Thursday.

According to Claret and Hugh, the 23-year-old is likely to be available for selection for the visits of the Romanian side and then Newcastle United on Sunday, which could be a big boost to David Moyes' chances of obtaining results in both matches.

Scamacca scored in both legs of West Ham's Europa Conference League qualifying win against Viborg and will be looking to add to his goal tally in Europe against FCSB on Thursday night.

If the Hammers are going to impress again this term, the Italian will undoubtedly be vital to their chances of success, as Moyes' side fell away in the second half of last season due to a lack of squad depth in attack, which saw Michail Antonio feature 47 times in all competitions.

As a 32-year-old who has struggled with injuries throughout his career, it was just not feasible for Moyes to expect the Jamaica international to do the same again this season, and Scamacca will surely be a great competitor for him in attack.

The 23-year-old hit 16 goals in Serie A last season and will be hoping to break the West Ham curse of strikers, which has seen the likes of Sebastien Haller, Simone Zaza and Lucas Perez all fail to cut it at with the Irons in recent years.

When Scamacca signed for West Ham, talkSPORT pundit Lucy Ward labelled him "one of the signings of the summer"; and while it has been a disjointed start for the Italian in east London, Hammers fans will be hoping that he can hit the ground running now that he seems to have recovered from his recent throat infection.

With another big match to come next Sunday against Newcastle, Moyes will be delighted if he can start Scamacca against FCSB on Thursday and give Antonio a rest, as otherwise he risks burning out the 32-year-old again this season.