Julen Lopetegui is aware there is a potential new manager bounce expected for Leicester City tomorrow.

The Foxes welcome Ruud van Nistelrooy to the post at the King Power Stadium tomorrow night, to take on a West Ham side who are reeling from Saturdays hammering at the hands of Arsenal.

It was a result and performance that has piled the pressure on Lopetegui once again, with the fixture against struggling Leicester considered a must-win.

“It’s going to be a tough environment,” Lopetegui told the press, as reported by whufc.com. “I don’t know what he’s [van Nistelrooy] thinking in his mind, but one of the difficulties when you face a new manager is you don’t really know what he’s going to do. But I prefer to put the focus on ourselves and to see what we can do.

The Head Coach though has provided a positive injury update, with it reported that Niclas Fullkrug is now very close to returning – while Mohammed Kudus finally returns from a long-term suspension, in a much-needed boost for all connected with the club.

“Tomorrow I think is going to be difficult, but hopefully he will be ready in the next matches,” Lopetegui said of Fullkrug. “He won’t be fully fit – three months is a long time without matches, but thankfully he is close to recovery.

“I won’t talk about the line-up. Mohammed Kudus is back, but he’s missed a lot of matches. He’s fit and ready, which is good news for us because it’s a good thing to have more players available.”

The match against Leicester is one that West Ham simply have to win, if not, then its hard to see where things will end up for Lopetegui – as reports still continue to suggest that the club are gearing up for a change.