There is nothing untoward about a Kurt Zouma social media post after the West Ham star sparked protective boot injury confusion.
Injury-prone Zouma has been out since the Everton game after he suffered a small thigh tear on his return to the West Ham side from a knee operation.
There is no doubting the Hammers are better defensively with the Frenchman in the side. And West Ham boss David Moyes desperately needs him for the relegation run-in.
Last week, before the new injuries to Nayef Aguerd and Lucas Paqueta, Moyes said his clutch of injured players including Zouma were on the way back.
So some West Ham fans were understandably concerned when Zouma posted a picture of himself wearing a recovery device over the weekend.
It sparked concerns on forums and social media that Zouma has suffered some sort of setback and faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
But there is nothing untoward about the Zouma social media post after the West Ham star sparked protective boot injury confusion.
Many mistakenly believed the device worn by Zouma in the picture was a protective boot – usually worn in the days and weeks after a fresh injury, particularly involving bones.
But the device Zouma is wearing is effectively a full leg massage kit which West Ham have been using for player recovery after matches for some time now.
It is a compression device that surrounds the legs and uses compressed air to massage the limb, leading to mobilised fluid and faster recovery and recuperation following intense exertion.
Back in 2021 Hammers News reported on West Ham’s use of such devices to aid recovery with Michail Antonio and Vladimir Coufal pictured wearing them.
So yes while Zouma is still recovering and this is helping that recovery, it is nothing to worry about and there has been – at the time of writing – no setback or new issue to delay to his return. If anything this device is designed to speed up his West Ham comeback.
Zouma was also spotted walking freely with no issues when he attended the draw with Chelsea to support his teammates alongside Alphonse Areola on Saturday.
A club video shows Zouma and Areola, who returned to training himself this week after a hamstring injury, at around 3mins 15secs.