Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted he is “deeply concerned” about Lucas Paqueta and stated West Ham have to “take care” of the Brazil star.

But the West Ham boss said Paqueta “needs” to play for the club again to save them from the drop. “Lucas is one of the best players,” he said “Our best players must be available and helpful.” The £51m playmaker missed the FA Cup win over QPR on Sunday amid interest from his former club Flamengo. It is not clear if he will ever play for the Hammers again.

The Hammers boss said Paqueta is “still having treatment” on a back condition and is not certain to play in Saturday’s London derby at Tottenham. “He’s still struggling,” warned Espirito Santo. “Let’s see. We have a couple of days to go.”

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Paqueta saw an £80m transfer to Manchester City collapse in August 2023 after he was accused - and later cleared - of spot-fixing by the FA. After he was sent off for dissent against Liverpool in November, the Brazilian claimed that his behaviour towards referee Darren England was "a reflection of everything I've had to endure”.

Asked if he is concerned about Paqueta after one-to-one talks this week, the Irons boss said: “Of course I am. Deeply. Like I am with all our players. Like I am with all our players. Here is one thing, we must and I think we have, we protect our own. First and foremost. This is what we are trying to do - protect our own and trying to find the best way.

"The most important thing for the club is clear. Our best players must be available and helpful. I think there’s no doubt about the talent and the quality of Lucas. That’’s not in discussion here. It’s just to take the best out of him.”

“Is he is in the right mindset to play for West Ham again? He needs to be. He needs to be. He needs to be. He needs to be. He needs to be. You have to understand that many things happened with Lucas.

"Many things in the past. This problem that he had. I think the club support him through all these hard moments. First of all, he’s a person. We have to take care of that now. And we are doing it. Let’s wait and see."

Asked if Paqueta had told him he wants to stay, the Irons boss added: “He's here in the building, he's having his lunch now and did his treatment. It's clear, isn't it?”

The Brazilian transfer market is open until March - and Paqueta looks certain to leave the London Stadium in the summer with one year left on his contract.

But for now the 18th-placed Hammers head to the Tottenham Stadium looking to end a run of 10 Premier League games without a win - and the manager under increasing pressure.

“I think it is a situation we have to solve, all of us at the club have to solve,” he said. "We always want the best players to be involved and Lucas is one of the best players. So let’s try and solve the situation we have to solve. “But I want it solved in the best way. In the best way possible. Because we need all of them.”

“I also need bodies that come in. I need our fans. Not me. We need our fans. We need all the help. We need the referees don’t make mistakes. We need everything. We are in a tough position. We need everybody.”

West Ham have appointed former Spain defender Paco Jemez as the new first-team coach.

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