West Ham are set to be handed a boost with the return of captain and talisman Declan Rice against Manchester United later tonight.

West Ham was always going to be in for a tough time against Manchester City and their best player being out with a sickness bug is the last thing they needed.

After rumours that David Moyes was going to put out a weakened side, it turned out that he had no choice but to rotate. With Soucek, Aguerd and, most importantly, Rice all out due to illness, West Ham stood little chance against one of the best teams in the world.

‘Gutted to be missing the game’ Rice put on his social media before the game. He continued, saying he ‘picked up a sickness bug yesterday and has carried on throughout the night/today. Wishing the boys the best of luck.’

There were plenty of conspiracies saying this was fabricated and that they were simply being rested without fear of being punished. However, ExWHUemployee has categorically stated this is not true. 

The lads that were able to play put in a good shift  but all 3 goals came from avoidable mistakes. In the same game, Haaland broke the Premier league record for most goals in a season and Pep’s City managed their 1000th goal.

Three points from any of the Hammers remaining fixtures all but guarantees their spot in the Premier League next season. With another tough game against the red side of Manchester this weekend, West Ham fans will be happy to hear that Rice should be back for the clash.

Having the captain back will be a massive boost, let’s hope he can lead his side to a massive three points on Sunday.