West Ham striker Xande Silva is due to fly into London on Tuesday after a horrendous summer which saw him undergo emergency surgery in his native Portugal.
The 22-year-old star suffered an obstruction to his bowel a week before he was due back for pre-season training in east London and having undergone an operation, has been recovering at home in Portugal having spent three weeks in hospital after his surgery.
Silva was back in his homeland on holiday over the summer when the obstruction occurred and he was rushed to hospital in Portugal, with the blessing of West Ham's club medical staff, and had emergency surgery in a private clinic in Lisbon within six hours of being taken ill.
During Silva's recuperation, West Ham's doctors have been out to visit the striker four times - once the day after his operation and subsequently once a week during his post-op recovery as they have closely kept an eye on their talented striker.
Silva has lost five kilos in weight after his ordeal over the summer and will have a private training schedule over the next six weeks as he will be closely monitored by club staff and is expected to make a full recovery.
It capped off a horrendous 2019 for the young frontman so far after making his first senior start for the club in the FA Cup victory over Birmingham City back in January.
Silva picked up a hernia problem in the aftermath of that game and was ruled out for three months, returning for the last couple of games of the season for the U23s as they were relegated from Division One of PL2.
The Portuguese striker joined the club ahead of the 2018/19 season from Vitoria De Guimaraes in Portugal for a reported £1.3m and got his Hammers career off to a flier.
He netted seven goals in six PL2 appearances for the U23s which earned him a call up to the senior squad much earlier than expected and he made his senior debut during the 2-0 defeat away at Burnley in the Premier League on December 30.
