Nuno Espirito Santo has promised Lucas Paqueta will come straight back into the West Ham team on Sunday and is confident there will be no repeat of his meltdown against Liverpool.
The Brazil midfielder was sent off last Sunday for collecting two bookings for dissent and then complained on social media that he had not had any psychological support during a two-year spell when he faced betting charges from the FA and the prospect of a lengthy ban.
The former Lyon player served a one-match suspension for his red card against Liverpool but while West Ham got a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in his absence, manager Nuno will change his team to bring back Paqueta at Brighton.
“He is going to play,” he said. “It is in the past. I am positive it will not happen again because he personally admitted his mistake. We spoke about it in the dressing room. I am positive it is over and it will not be repeated.”
Nuno could also have winger Crysencio Summerville back. “Crysencio hopefully returns soon,” he said. “We miss him. We know what he gives to the team.”
Nuno believes West Ham have to accept the pressure of being in the relegation zone after they returned to the bottom three when Leeds beat Chelsea on Wednesday.
He said: “We cannot avoid it. It is a reality. We have to face it. We are fighting for survival. We cannot hide it. The results of other teams we cannot control. It is up to us.”
