West Ham United have been left sweating on the fitness of number one goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
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The Poland international missed West Ham’s narrow defeat to Manchester City on Saturday.
West Ham fans feared the worst when news filtered through the goalkeeper was not in the starting line up.
Anxious wait for West Ham after Fab injury
It emerged Fabianski suffered a training ground injury after having his arm trodden on by one of his Hammers teammates.
Darren Randolph came in and showed just why Fabianski is number one.
Now West Ham face an anxious wait to see whether the ‘keeper will be available to face Leeds next Monday night.
Hammers boss David Moyes said he ‘hopes’ to have Fabianski back for the game (whufc.com).
The Scot also criticised Randolph for failing to claim the ball for City’s first goal (Football London).
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Well now West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh have delivered an update on Fabianski from a ‘training ground source’.
And while it is good news for West Ham, there remains a slight element of doubt.
“Lukasz Fabianski is 90 per cent certain to return for the Irons against Leeds a week on Monday,” Claret & Hugh claim.
“Describing Fab’s injury as ‘minor,’ CandH were told by a training ground source that the Polish international is 90 per cent certain to make his return against Marcelo Bielsa’s team.”
Fabianski is so important to West Ham. He is such a complete goalkeeper and does all the basics brilliantly well.
Randolph showed why Fab is so important to Hammers
So much so West Ham fans now take it subconsciously for granted. Randolph was poor for both goals.
For the first, as Moyes said himself after the game, Randolph should have come and claimed the ball.
That goal would never have been conceded if Fabianski was in there. For one the defence would have known their ‘keeper would claim it and would not have retreated so deep into their own six yard box.
And – as he did in the win over Spurs – Fabianski would have wiped out his own teammates if it meant getting to the ball first.
Randolph’s reactions for City’s second were slow too although he can hardly be blamed for that given the ball was fired from close range and through bodies.
It was close to Randolph, though, and did have some West Ham fans thinking Fabianski might have saved it.
West Ham must address the goalkeeper situation in the summer.
Fabianski is expected to be handed a new two-year deal so Moyes so perhaps a better back-up goalkeeper should be on the cards in the short-term.
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