Sam Allardyce says that new arrival Nene is unlikely to feature at Tottenham on Sunday due to a lack of match fitness.
The 33-year-old Brazilian striker arrived at West Ham this week on a free transfer. However he is unlikely to be thrown into the lion's den at White Hart Lane this weekend, according to Allardyce."It's great to have a player like Nene, with his CV, at the club. We're all looking forward to seeing him play," said Allardyce, speaking at this morning's pre-match press conference.
"But Nene isn't ready physically yet as he's just started training with us. It'll be about 10 days - maybe two weeks - before he's ready."
On the plus side, Big Sam is delighted to have first team defenders Winston Reid and James Collins available for selection once more following their recent lay-offs - plus winger Matt Jarvis.
"Having those players back for us is huge," he admitted. "If we avoid further injuries we'll have a good rest of the season."
Meanwhile Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino faces something of a selection quandary this weekend as he prepares to approach three games within a week.
Four days after West Ham's visit to White Hart Lane, Tottenham travel to Italy for the second leg of a Europa League tie - which itself comes just three days before the face Chelsea in the Capital One Cup Final.
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