RUMOURS SURROUNDING TODIBO’S FUTURE ARE NOTHING NEW, OF COURSE. THEY HAVE HOUNDED THE FRENCHMAN THROUGHOUT HIS WEST HAM UNITED CAREER TO DATE. BUT FOR JAMES WARD-PROWSE, HIS ABSENCE AT THE HILL DICKINSON STADIUM FELT PARTICULARLY DAMNING. NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO, LEST WE FORGET, WAS THE HEAD COACH OF NOTTINGHAM FOREST WHEN THE ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL SAW A CITY GROUND LOAN SPELL CANCELLED MIDWAY THROUGH LAST SEASON, AFTER ALL.
YET, AT RUSH GREEN, NUNO TOOK TRAINING ON THURSDAY WITH TODIBO AND WARD-PROWSE VERY MUCH INVOLVED. SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FOR AARON WAN-BISSAKA COULD BE HEARD TOO, AS THE CLUB’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR LOOKS TO FINALLY PICK UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF IN MAY. NOW, USUALLY, THE SIGHT OF AN UNDER-CONTRACT PLAYER ON THE TRAINING FIELD, EVEN ONE OUT OF FAVOUR, WOULD NOT CAUSE MUCH OF A STIR. ‘MAN GOES TO WORK, SHOCKER’.
YET, AS RECENTLY AS WEDNESDAY, REPORTS SUGGESTED THAT JAMES WARD-PROWSE MAY BE BANISHED FROM WEST HAM’S FIRST TEAM, FORCED TO TRAIN ON HIS OWN OR WITH THE RESERVES UNTIL JANUARY ARRIVED AND ESCAPE ROUTES PRESENTED THEMSELVES. CLEARLY, THAT IS NOT QUITE THE CASE. BECAUSE THERE HE WAS, VERY MUCH INVOLVED AS NUNO CAST A KEEN EYE OVER HIS SQUAD AHEAD OF SATURDAY’S TRIP TO ARSENAL. WARD-PROWSE EVEN EARNED HIMSELF A FEW WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE NEW BOSS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WHIPPING A FANTASTIC STRIKE INTO THE TOP CORNER DURING A MINI-GAME EXERCISE.
