- Jarrod Bowen is recovering well after being injured against Liverpool last month
- Graham Potter revealed the club captain is ‘champing’ to get back into action
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! Why Manchester United may have to sell Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho
Graham Potter has revealed Jarrod Bowen could return from his broken foot ahead of schedule to help ease the burden of West Ham’s striker injury crisis.
Hammers skipper Bowen fractured his foot against Liverpool in December with the club initially expecting the forward to be out for around six weeks.
New boss Potter said Bowen is already out jogging on the grass with the West Ham physios and is ‘champing’ to get back quickly.
‘He’s doing everything he can to get on the pitch as soon as possible,’ said Potter. ‘We just need to make sure it’s in a safe way, and it’s a good way for him because we want to get him back and we want him to stay back.
‘You know Jarrod, he wants to be out there, he wants to play and we’re trying to pull the reins on him rather than the other way around. He’s fantastic to have around the place.
‘He’s just champing and wants to get out and help but he just has to take his medicine at the moment and just do his rehab properly.
Graham Potter revealed Jarrod Bowen has been out jogging as he moves towards a return to action
The West Ham captain has been unavailable since suffering a fractured foot against Liverpool last month
‘He was out jogging today with the individual physio, so it’s positive. I think if I’m looking at it now, Jarrod will be ahead of schedule rather than behind schedule.’
A quick return for Bowen would be a huge boost for Potter, who has stepped into a striker injury crisis at West Ham.
Niclas Fullkrug limped out of the FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa after only 15 minutes of Potter’s first game in charge to join Bowen and Michail Antonio on the side lines and leaves Danny Ings the only fit out-and-out striker.
Hammers winger Crysencio Summerville is also a doubt for Tuesday’s Premier League clash against Fulham.
‘It’s fair to say it’s a significant one,’ said Potter of Fullkrug’s injury. ‘A number of weeks. Months? A number of weeks probably adds up to months, yes.’
It’s left West Ham in the market for a striker in January, though Potter insists panic buying a forward will not solve the club’s problems.
West Ham are interested in out-of-favour Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford but Mail Sport understands the club know a move would be near-impossible to get done.
New Hammers boss Potter added Bowen should be ready to return ‘ahead of schedule’
The club are interested in a move for Marcus Rashford but understand a deal would be highly unlikely
Potter says he does not want the club signing a striker for the sake of it – West Ham have signed 40 of them, and more than 50 forwards, since owner David Sullivan took over in 2010.
‘It’s tempting to think there’s some guy out there that’s going to solve all your problems, but my experience is it’s rarely as easy as that,’ said Potter.
‘Twenty-goals-a-season Premier League players, there aren’t many of them in the world full stop, so to get them in January is even more difficult.
‘What you don’t want to do is just sign a centre forward and then you look under the bonnet and you think he’s not quite at the level or doesn’t fit the playing style or isn’t quite the right character and all of a sudden you think you’ve solved the problem but you’ve just created another one.’