Ben Johnson was tonight described as very unlikely to make the under 23s trip to Middlesbrough tomorrow night but not because of a pending West Ham first team call-up.

Instead, we were told this afternoon the player has picked up a knock and having missed the game against 2-0 win over West Brom.

It is of course all smoke and mirrors at this time of the week but there seemed to be a certainty about the news he would be missing both from the Riverside and the squad for Manchester United.

Wewere told earlier that having failed to recover sufficiently, no risks were being taken with the youngster who was believed to be in the frame for a possible first team squad place given the suspension imposed on Arthur Masuaku game from the Aston Villa game.

And it seems too that Winston Reid – who backroom staff have been planning to include on Teeside -will be held back until the next game against Sunderland at Dagenham next Sunday.

Medical staff  have had second thoughts about his readiness for action following a long term knee injury with a well placed Hammers source explaining on the phone: “Everybody wants to be 100 per cent certain Winston is 100 per cent ready and happy. There is no huge rush or urgency and this no need to take any kind of risk.

“Ben is carrying a small injury and looks to be unavailable for tomorrow’s game against Middlesbrough.”

Eintracht Frankfurt director of football has explained how he no options left when West Ham moved in on Sebastien Haller during the summer.

Having missed out on long term target Maxi Gomez, the Hammers took absolutely no prisoners as they went hell for leather in Haller’s direction and as he now admits making life impossible DOF Fredi Bobic.

The  German striker is now on a huge contract with the Hammers, dwarfing his earnings in the Bundesliga which like most European leagues can’t compete with the Premier Leauge on personal terms.

And it’s that which makes it impossible for clubs to hold on to their players but instead make life is difficult as possible at transfer fee level.

That’s why Frankfurt pushed their demands to £45 million for the 25 year old demanding that it was paid within 18 months and which at one stage had the potential to stall the deal.

But that left Bobic stymied as the Hammers stole away a striker of huge goals potential and speaking to Focus in Germany, he explained how he had to go against  his personal wishes.

Two big questions concerning a couple of Hammers could be decided by this time tomorrow although we are doing our best to get there a bit earlier!

We discussed the possibilities of Zaba, Ben Johnson or Aaron Cresswell filling the left back position against Manchester United on Sunday in an earlier article.

And a big clue could be whether or not Johnson is included in the U23s team which looks to continue its unbeaten run at Middlesbrough tomorrow evening.

With Arthur Masuaku suspended Johnson appears to have a chance – given Pelle is not slow to use promising youngsters – and that he was impressive in the pre-season games when he played every game apart from the prestige match against Bilbao.

Should he not appear in the squad it will be a strong indication that he is in the boss’ mind for the match against United.

Meanwhile,  Winston Reid is still being monitored and a decision on whether he will be travelling will be made later this evening.

Manuel Pellegrini’s left back issue against Manchester United may not cause him as many concerns as some of us may have imagined!

The absence of Arthur Masuaku because of suspension has caused a few creased brows but given that the not so quick Mata is United’s usual right sided player, we may well get away with it for this game.

It could easily be that the boss shove Zaba into the job as it doesn’t look likely the Spaniard will be racing beyond even our 34 year old defender.

There is of course the worry that Marcus Rashford has been drifting wide to the right this season but not to the extent that needs necessarily to cause GREAT concern.

And it won’t be rocket science to the United manager that if there is a weakness in our defensive set up  it’s over on that side of the back four.

Aaron Cresswell will of course have everything crossed that he will get the gig for a game where his defensive abilities don’t get tested to the limits but Zaba looks the possible answer.

And of course as a former Man City man he likes nothing more than to put it across the Reds who at the moment probably aren’t entirely sure of their ideal line up.

This may also be a game for Pablo Fornals to step up for  Andriy Yarmolenko who didn’t look at his best at Aston Villa on Monday evening.

Beyond that isn’t it nice to see the team virtually picking itself?

Give us your teams here https://www.claretandhugh.info/select-your-starting-west-ham-x1-against-man-utd/

CndH line up: Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Zaba; Rice, Noble, Fornals; Anderson, Lanzini, Haller

Michael Owen reckons West Ham are on their way and that Manchester United will face a massive test at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

We gave the first signs that times were a changing at the club last season when we saw the Irons beat them 3-1under Mourinho last season.

And it was his after match comments about the colossus that is Issa Diop which maybe promoted the widely publicised interest in our French defender who was stunningly good against Villa on Monday evening.

The Hammer cannot be unfancied to repeat the dose and the likes of Issa and Declan Rice – having made it clear they are in no way interested in moving to Old Trafford – will want to show them why.

With a growing chorus of unexpected praise rising from the world of football about what’s happening at the London Stadium the Hammers will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to five, prefereably with a win over the old enemy.

They have a right to be favourites with home advantage against a team which has not made the most convincing of starts by their own standards.

“If there is to be a winner at the London Stadium I believe it will be the Irons from what promises to be a hugely entertaining game,” Owen  wrote on his BetVictor blog.

“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have drawn on the road at both Wolves and Southampton so far this season and this will be another severe test of their top-four credentials.”

Harry Redknapp may be more into jam roly polys than football these days but his  latest view on West Ham will no doubt be appreciated by the former boss’ detractors.

Harry may have become a marginal figure in the game and  being surpassed by son Jamie as a ‘pundit’ but he has not been slow to let it be known that he is excited by what’s going on at our club right now.

It’s fair to claim, mind you, that  the sudden emergence of the  recognition of what’s happening by him and other ‘pundits’ would have been more appreciated had it been predicted at the start of Manuel Pellegrini’s reign.

But never mind, always better late than never and he now appears to accept that we are very much on the way to become an ‘elite’ club.

It’s early days of course but on what we are seeing right now many fans would have to agree that what once looked an impossible dream could indeed become a reality.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Redknapp  he praised the side Pellegrini is putting together at the London Stadium.

He said: “I like the look of West Ham. I think West Ham will certainly finish top eight this year (and) maybe I think if anyone is getting to the top six it’s going to be them or Leicester.

They’re the two teams that could knock one of the big six out this year and West Ham they look very good, I’m really pleased.

“Yea I do (genuinely believe}  they’ve got enough to do it, I like what I’ve seen so far…I like the look of West Ham this year, they’ve got some great forward players as well, they look exciting.”