Nuno Espirito Santo has been putting West Ham’s players through their paces ahead of the crunch clash with Southampton, with five big talking points emerging from Rush Green.

The Hammers head into Saturday’s game with momentum behind them, while Southampton have potential fitness concerns over former West Ham midfielder Flynn Downes and striker Cyle Larin.

But training has provided an encouraging update for Nuno Espirito Santo, with West Ham now boasting a completely fully fit senior squad. There were also some intriguing developments involving Edson Alvarez, two outcasts and the club’s misfiring forwards.

Here are five big talking points from Rush Green.

1. Keiber Lamadrid returns to full training

West Ham now appear to have a fully fit squad after Keiber Lamadrid returned to full training.

The Venezuelan midfielder joined permanently for just £1m in the summer after impressing Nuno during a loan spell in the second half of last season. Lamadrid started the 4-1 Carabao Cup victory over Southampton at St Mary’s but has not featured since because of injury.

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Tomas Soucek of West Ham United celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's fifth goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Lincoln City and West Ham United at the Gelder Group Sincil Bank Stadium in Lincoln, on October 14, 2026.

Although a winger by trade, Nuno had been using him centrally during pre-season and in that cup tie, suggesting he could offer another option in midfield as well as out wide.

Lamadrid had been the only West Ham player sidelined after the returns to fitness of Joel Veltman and Alphonse Areola.

His participation in the full training session is therefore a welcome development for Nuno, who now has greater depth and flexibility as the promotion battle intensifies.

2. Real Madrid’s wondergoal gets West Ham talking

From Lamadrid to Real Madrid, who also got a mention during the session. Konstantinos Mavropanos was asking his teammates whether they had seen Yan Diomande’s sensational strike in the Champions League.

The goal had been one of the talking points of the week’s European action, with the Ivory Coast winger unleashing a ferocious volley from outside the box against his former club RB Leipzig during Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory.

It was the sort of strike that gets footballers talking, and Mavropanos was keen to find out whether his teammates had seen it.

The goal was a reminder of the extraordinary quality on show at the highest level, even as West Ham focus on the very different challenge of winning promotion from the Championship.

3. Two West Ham outcasts spotted in the mix

The man Diomande replaced in the Ivory Coast set up over the last couple of years, the lesser-spotted Maxwel Cornet, was seen in full training with the senior team alongside another frozen out player in Soungoutou Magassa.

Cornet continues to train with the full group under Nuno’s watchful eye, but the winger looks a long way from a first-team return despite being fit.

The £17.5m signing has endured a deeply disappointing spell since arriving in 2022, making only a handful of starts. With Manor Solomon, Edvin Austbo, Josh Ajala, Lamadrid and even Mohamadou Kante capable of offering options out wide, Cornet faces a difficult battle to get near the squad.

Magassa is in a similarly difficult position, although he appears closer to a potential return. The French midfielder has been working to win back Nuno’s trust after his attempts to force a summer move, and he was also spotted training with the full group having been in recent matchday squads.

Whether either player can force their way back into contention remains to be seen.

4. Alvarez’s redemption bid continues

Edson Alvarez is another player attempting to rebuild his standing at West Ham after a difficult summer.

The Mexican initially indicated he wanted to help the Hammers return to the Premier League, even changing his squad number from 19 to his preferred No.4. He started the Carabao Cup first-round win over Portsmouth but subsequently tried to force a move away rather than play in the Championship.

Alvarez has not featured in a West Ham matchday squad since.

Recently, however, there have been signs of a charm offensive. He has begun appearing more regularly in the club’s training content and Alvarez posted a picture of himself with captain Jarrod Bowen on Instagram, captioning it “Capitano” and adding “My brother”.

His presence at Rush Green is another step in the right direction, but he still has significant work to do before earning Nuno’s trust and regaining a place in the squad.

Nuno has previously indicated that all his players could be needed over the course of the season. Recruitment director Nils Koppen, though, has also suggested those on the fringes could leave in January.

5. Extra finishing work for West Ham’s goal-shy strikers

Finally, West Ham’s forwards were given an extra, particularly focused finishing session ahead of the Southampton match.

Shooting practice is a routine part of training, but the additional work was notable given the problems Pablo, Taty Castellanos and Joel Piroe have experienced in front of goal.

Niclas Fullkrug’s outstanding scoring form on loan at Werder Bremen has only intensified the scrutiny, with the German finding the net regularly while West Ham’s current options struggle to convert their opportunities.

The finishing on display during the session was impressive, but one concern remained: all three forwards appeared to take too long to pull the trigger, even in training.

That hesitation has been a feature of West Ham’s attacking play at times this season, and Nuno will be desperate to see a more ruthless edge when the Hammers face Southampton.

With promotion points at stake, the manager needs his forwards to turn promising positions into goals. Saturday offers the next opportunity to show that the extra work at Rush Green is paying off.