Another Jarrod Bowen twist shared by David Moyes

West Ham United boss David Moyes would have been over the moon to have Jarrod Bowen back and available for selection last night.

Jarrod Bowen made his West Ham debut at the London Stadium against Bayer Leverkusen, following a 12-day absence due to a hip injury. David Moyes was the manager at the time.

The injury he sustained two weeks ago against Wolves didn’t appear to be a serious one when he left the field.

The 27-year-old was thus had to miss our following two matches, which were against Fulham and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively.

His return to fitness last night was a huge relief for all Hammers supporters. Jarrod’s early game start was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for our outstanding performance.

The next match is a crucial one on Sunday at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace. If we want to win all three points, Bowen will be essential.

But will he be prepared to face the Eagles?

Jarrod Bowen twist shared by David Moyes

In advance of the Palace match, the Scot spoke to the media this afternoon at his pre-match press conference.

This game is really essential, as we all know. There is zero chance that we will be playing football in Europe the next season if we lose.

But if we win, we should be able to secure a fourth straight continental campaign. To achieve that, Jarrod has to be operating at full capacity once more.

When media inquired about Bowen’s current state of mind, Moyes gave an update, as reported by WHUFC.com:

“Jarrod is usually quite strong, but I know he was very tentative about playing in last night’s game and was on the verge of pulling out.” We’ll need to evaluate how he is and how he responded to the injection that he had prior to the match.

All I can say is let’s hope Bowen succeeds in passing his physical examination. He is vitally important to us.

If West Ham were to have any chance of making it back to Europe the next season, we need to win three of our final five games, and if we’re being really honest, we should probably win four.

This weekend, a victory over Palace will suffice.

Furthermore, Jarrod Bowen’s status according to David Moyes is definitely cause for concern before the game against the Eagles. I hope yesterday wasn’t a hasty return for the 27-year-old.