David Moyes provided an injury update on Declan Rie ahead of the clash with Everton but refused to be drawn on a timeframe for the England internationals return to the team. Rice has been out with a knee injury since the last international break in April and in his absence, the Hammers have won three and lost two with the manager stressing how key a player Rice is to the side. The 22-year-old is close to returning, with Moyes confirming this in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
David Moyes said: “We’re getting closer because we’re another week down the line and we’re hoping that we can have him available, he’s back on the grass and we’re closing in on it. Undoubtedly he’s a big miss to us and we’ll try and get him back as quickly as we can. I’m just hoping to have him available, I’m not going put any time on it. I’m not trying to bluff anybody but in the same breath, I’ve got to be really wary of it. He is so important for us, we have to get him back as quickly as we can. We need him, he can make the difference in the games and there’s a big game coming up this weekend for a starter.”
Everton have a game in hand on West Ham and are currently six points behind the Hammers in the league table and Moyes knows how big a match this is for both teams to keep their European aspirations alive.
David Moyes said: “I don’t see any easy games in the Premier League, you only need to look at how the games go they are so hard to call.”
The manager added he goes into the game knowing exactly what the Hammers need to do to put themselves in with a shot of Champions League football next season.
David Moyes said: “We are in a confident mood and feel as if we are playing well so I think we will go into the games knowing that if we have any chance of being in the top four then we probably need to win all four so that has to be the mindset I am in and we are going to do that. If we fall short of that then we will fall into the Europa League and that will be great as well, I hope we don’t fall any shorter than that but if we do then we can still talk about having had a good season.”
