Lopetegui on Bowen captaincy, Wan-Bissaka and more West Ham signings | OneFootball

New West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui praised the leadership of England international and new Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen ahead of his first game in charge of the club.

West Ham take on Aston Villa in their opening game of the Premier League season at the London Stadium on Saturday with Bowen set to lead the team out as skipper.

And on the decision to make Bowen captain, Lopetegui said: “He has the commitment at the club to become the next captain, and he is excited about the responsibility.”

Lopetegui was also questioned on team news ahead of Saturday’s matchup against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, to which he replied: “Fortunately we don’t have bad news about the injuries. We have to be aware about the kind of preparations some players have had, and we’ll have more information on Friday. Tomorrow we will make the last decision about the lineup.”

West Ham announced the signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United for £15m on Tuesday and Lopetegui says he could make his debut for the club on Saturday.

He said: “We are happy with Aaron. He’s happy to be here. He is a good age, with good experience, and he is happy.

“To have more competition in positions is important, and Aaron will add a lot of things to our team.”

“He has played in pre-season with Manchester United, so we will see. It’s true he has only been here for a short while, so we will see tomorrow.”

On further signings, Lopetegui said: “I’m not going to talk about players who aren’t here. My aim is to be ready for matchday, and focus on the players who are already here.”

Kurt Zouma, who captained the side under previous manager David Moyes, has been widely reported to be departing the club this summer. Lopetegui said: “Kurt is a fantastic person and a very good player. He is trying to sort his future.”

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