David Moyes has said defender Angelo Ogbonna is nearing a first-team return, having been on the sidelines for nearly a year.
Ogbonna suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in West Ham's 3-2 win against Liverpool last November and has not played since.
The Hammers are down to the bare bones in central defence, with Craig Dawson recovering from injury and summer signing Nayef Aguerd ruled out for the next few weeks after suffering an ankle injury in pre-season.
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With Kurt Zouma as the only fit, recognisable centre-back, Ben Johnson was forced to step inside for the opening match of the season against Man City, a game the Hammers lost 2-0.
And with the defenders not yet ready to play, Johnson is likely to continue playing centre-back. But manager David Moyes has provided an update for Ogbonna, saying he is nearing a return but not ready to feature in matches.
"He's coming on. He's doing well," Moyes said in his Nottingham Forest pre-match press conference. "He's been out eight-and-a-half, nine months, very similar to Ben Chilwell at Chelsea. I think Chilwell was maybe just a week or two before him.
"Angelo's going along fine. They're different ages, I'm only using that as a comparison. He's coming along nicely, but he's not ready yet to be considered for the first team.
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