West Ham United have been handed a timely boost to their seasonal fortunes following news of Maxwel Cornet's looming return from a long-term injury...
What's the latest on Maxwel Cornet's injury?
Having signed for the Hammers from relegated Burnley for £17.5m in the summer, Cornet only made a handful of appearances for David Moyes' team before a calf injury suffered against Wolverhampton Wanderers ruled the Ivorian forward out indefinitely.
Still yet to make his comeback, the 26-year-old's anticipated comeback is apparently drawing near, with Claret & Hugh confirming that the ace will return to England this week after undergoing intensive treatment on his issue.
A key contact within the situation said this:
"Max will be returning from France after receiving intensive treatment and we hope he will be fit enough to go into full training. It’s a very rare injury so unfortunately there are no precise timings."
A major boost for the Hammers
The revelation on Cornet's fitness is promising, if somewhat ill-defined, and it could be several weeks still until the Iron winger returns to competitive action in east London.
After his summer switch from the Clarets, Cornet only made nine appearances before his extensive setback, although he did record five assists, all within European competition, during this period.
And after a slow integration into the squad, the £64k-per-week star's first start in the Premier League for his new outfit resulted in his bitter injury, and there is certainly a solid argument that the former Lyon phenom might have rewritten the discourse surrounding West Ham's lacklustre campaign, had fitness levels not failed him.
Moyes' squad have slumped into a relegation battle this season after clinching European football across the past two terms, and having scored just 19 goals from 22 league matches this season, there is certainly a hole in the offensive third that could have been patched by Cornet throughout the year's travails.
Take last season, for example, after signing for Burnley for £13m, Cornet would go on to forge a devastating campaign on an individual basis, scoring nine goals from only 21 starts, as per Sofascore, and dazzling with his 1.8 shots and 0.6 key passes each outing.
Such a prolific return for such a struggling outfit was duly noted, with the likes of Owen Hargreaves waxing lyrical over the "fabulous finisher", who had also attracted interest from Newcastle United before his arrival in east London.
With the knockout phase of the Europa Conference League looming, Moyes will be positively delighted to welcome Cornet back to the fold, with his "unbelievable" attributes, as praised by AppleTV's Maximiliano Bretos, perhaps holding the key to unlock the path to success on the continental front.
The fact is, the Irons have not been good enough in the Premier League this season, and even the thought of a top-ten finish might be a stretch too far for this inconsistent outfit, but mounting a charge to European glory could be the perfect remedy to ail the season's hardships.
West Ham fell short against eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-finals last season, and among ostensibly more favourable opponents in the Conference League, there is a sense of optimism that silverware could be salvaged this year.
And with five assists within European competition already for the Hammers, Cornet could be the centrepiece to instigate the flurry of form requisite for the fortunes so dearly craved.