West Ham will take no risks with defender Winston Reid as he bids to return to action after 17 months out with a serious knee injury.
The centre-back is back in training but West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is maintaining a cautious approach until he is convinced he is ready.
Reid has not played since March 2018 and is working to an individual training plan to build up his fitness.
The 31-year-old is being integrated slowly back into first-team training and worked with the rest of the West Ham squad on Thursday as they prepared for Saturday's trip to Brighton.
But West Ham are managing Reid carefully and do not want to risk him enduring a setback.
Reid has been sidelined since he suffered a freak injury against Swansea when he was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground awkwardly twisting his knee.
He made a comeback to training last summer but then broke down and had to have surgery which ruled him out of the whole of last season.
West Ham do not need to rush the New Zealand international back because Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena have formed a solid centre-back partnership and they also have Angelo Ogbonna and summer signing Goncalo Cardoso.
Meanwhile, West Ham fear they could be without forward Sebastien Haller and midfielder Felipe Anderson at Brighton.
The duo suffered knocks in the 5-0 home defeat against Manchester City last weekend and are doubts for the trip to the Amex.
