West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug close to returning to action | OneFootball

West Ham United welcome Newcastle United to the London Stadium on Monday, March 10, looking to continue their run of two successive wins.

The Hammers stunned Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, beating the Premier League challengers 1-0 before downing Leicester City. It was the first time the Irons had won successive league games since February/March 2024.

West Ham’s win was also their first at home without conceding since December 2023 against Manchester United.

West Ham boss Graham Potter will hope they can ride this positive wave to a win over Newcastle. Ahead of the game, the English tactician announced some exciting injury news.

Potter announced that West Ham duo Lucas Paqueta and Vladimir Coufal are back in action and in contention to face the Magpies.

However, there was even better news as Potter disclosed that Niclas Fullkrug was close to returning. The German international has been out since the January FA Cup clash with Aston Villa.

Speaking with the press before West Ham lock horns with Newcastle, Potter said (via the club website): “Niclas Fullkrug has trained with the team. It is still early in terms of his involvement, but it’s positive signs for us that he is training with the team, and now it is a case of building him up.”

Since signing for West Ham in the last summer transfer window, Fullkrug has struggled to stay fit. He has managed only 11 appearances for the club across all competitions.

The absence of West Ham centre-forward Michail Antonio left the club light up top, forcing them into the market to sign Evan Ferguson in January. However, the Republic of Ireland striker is yet to get off the mark.

Fullkrug will hope he can stay fit to pay back the hefty £27 million fee West Ham paid to sign him from Borussia Dortmund. The Hammers could use a clinical finisher as they bid to power up the table from 15th place.