Israel manager Ran Ben-Shimon has a concern over West Ham United‘s Manor Solomon featuring against Kosovo on Saturday.
The forward left Tottenham Hotspur and completed a permanent move to West Ham in the summer window. He had a good start to his Hammers career, scoring a goal on his debut in the 2-2 draw against Burnley.
Since then, the 27-year-old has managed one goal and two assists in 15 matches. He hasn’t scored or assisted for the Hammers since the last international break.
What’s happening now
That hasn’t stopped Ran Ben-Shimon from including the former Leeds United man in the squad for November’s fixtures. Israel’s first UEFA Nations League clash will be against Kosovo in Pristina, the latter’s capital.
Manor Solomon remains a big doubt for the away fixture, and Walla Sport explain the latest.
The national team had a training session on Wednesday afternoon, local time, and divided it into two parts. The West Ham United summer signing took part in the first part but had to leave before the second one.
That’s because the attacker is ‘suffering from back pain’. It’s unclear what led to this or if there are any genuine concerns of a setback. For now, there’s no clarity on whether he will travel with the squad to Kosovo on Thursday.
At the weekend, he played 31 minutes in the London club’s 2-1 Championship defeat to Blackburn Rovers, days after playing 69 minutes in the 3-3 draw against Cardiff City.
West Ham will closely monitor
If he were to miss today’s session or can’t make himself available for selection for the weekend clash, the alarm bells are likely to go off at West Ham United.
Scott Parker’s side will keep a close watch on how Manor Solomon’s situation evolves in the next few hours.
It’s worth noting that the Hammers man struggled with a back problem during the last international break. However, that didn’t stop him from featuring in all four matches for Israel.
