West Ham United coach Alan Irvine has claimed that striker Diafra Sakho is not in the Hammers first team squad due to injury and not because he will soon be offloaded.
Sakho had hoped to join French Ligue 1 club Rennes during the summer but his wish was not granted and he remained put at the London stadium.
The 28-year-old is said to be keen to leave the Hammers this month as he looks to play regularly during the second half of the season in order to keep sharp ahead of the 2018 world cup where he will represent Senegal.
Despite Sakho being linked with moves away from the Hammers, Irvine has insisted that his lack of appearances is due to injury.
He said: “Absolutely. He is injured at the moment, has been since the window opened so he’s not been on the training ground at all, I’ve seen very little of him to be honest.
“He is not available for selection, it’s as simple as that.”
