After seven years, West Ham could be about to find out if Nuno was right about midfielder - view

Edson Alvarez appeared to have no meaningful future at West Ham United when the summer transfer window closed, but the international break may have given him exactly what he needed to force his way back into Nuno Espirito Santo’s thinking.

The Mexico international has played just once this season, completing 75 minutes in the Carabao Cup victory over Portsmouth, and was repeatedly linked with a summer exit after failing to feature in any of West Ham’s opening eight Championship outings.

Even after the transfer window closed, moves to several countries continued to be discussed before it eventually became clear that Alvarez would remain in east London.

Alvarez has since returned to first-team training and an agent involved in his previous move to Fenerbahce has revealed that 'Nuno really likes him' and has no problem with the midfielder staying at West Ham.

Alvarez has since posted an image of his boots at Rush Green on Instagram, prompting suggestions that he could return against QPR next week. That alone proves very little, but there is a much stronger reason to believe the international break could represent a genuine turning point for the midfielder.

While eight members of West Ham’s senior squad have been away representing their countries, Alvarez wasn't selected by Mexico and has therefore been available to work with Nuno throughout the extended break.

For a player attempting to rebuild his West Ham career, three uninterrupted weeks on the training ground could hardly have arrived at a better time.

The interesting aspect of Alvarez’s situation is that Nuno’s apparent admiration for him may not be particularly new.

As we explored earlier this week, Wolves were strongly linked with the Mexican while Nuno was in charge at Molineux in 2019, with reports at the time claiming they were prepared to pay around £10m to sign him from Club America.

Seven years later, Nuno has finally inherited a player whose qualities seemingly interested him long before either of them arrived at West Ham.

Alvarez spent much of the opening weeks on the margins while West Ham attempted to find a player to replace him, meaning Nuno had little reason to invest significant time in somebody who could've left at any moment.

By the time it was clear Alvarez was staying, the Championship schedule was already moving quickly and West Ham had begun establishing a midfield built predominantly around Arne Engels and Divine Mukasa.

Nuno has now been able to assess Alvarez without an immediate fixture every three or four days, while the Mexican has had an extended opportunity to demonstrate that he wants to become part of the manager’s plans rather than wait for the January window.

That doesn't mean he suddenly walks back into the starting XI, but it gives any reported change in his status considerably more substance.

West Ham’s most attractive midfield combination so far has involved Engels and Mukasa, whose technical quality has helped Nuno’s side control possession and progress the ball far more effectively. But the 2-2 draw at Millwall exposed the other side of that partnership.

The first half was physical, direct and chaotic, with Millwall dominating second balls and repeatedly forcing West Ham into uncomfortable defensive situations. Nuno eventually changed the game by adding Mohamadou Kante off the bench and switching into a 3-5-2, giving West Ham another physical presence around Engels and Mukasa.

Meanwhile, Alvarez offers another potential solution to exactly that type of match.

He's not a replacement for what Engels provides in possession or the progression Mukasa brings further forward. His value lies in giving Nuno a more natural defensive midfielder who can protect the space behind both of them, compete physically and allow West Ham’s more creative players to operate with more freedom.

That will be especially useful against opponents who want to attack quickly through midfield rather than allow West Ham to settle into long periods of comfortable possession.

It also creates another route into Nuno’s 3-5-2.

Alvarez has extensive experience playing both as a holding midfielder and a centre-back, the same versatility that reportedly attracted Nuno to him during his Wolves days. If the shape used in the second half at Millwall becomes a genuine alternative rather than a one-off, Alvarez could potentially operate either in front of the three defenders or within the back line itself.

West Ham haven't played since the Millwall draw on September 19, giving Nuno an unusually long period to work on the next stage of his team’s development.

That doesn't mean Alvarez should necessarily start against QPR. Engels and Mukasa have done enough to remain central to Nuno’s plans, while Kante’s impact at Millwall strengthened his own argument for more minutes after he returns from suspension.

The more realistic first step would simply be seeing Alvarez restored to the matchday squad.

That alone would represent considerable progress for a player who has spent almost the entire Championship campaign outside Nuno’s plans and appeared likely to leave the club. From there, the Nuno has options.

Alvarez could be introduced late to protect a lead, used when West Ham require more defensive security through midfield or deployed as part of the 3-5-2 if QPR make the contest more difficult to control than expected.

What matters most is that Alvarez has gone from being a player West Ham were prepared to sell to someone reportedly back in first-team training under a manager who has admired him for years.

If Alvarez features against QPR, it won't just be the return of a forgotten player. It could be the first evidence that Nuno has spent the last three weeks working out how someone who looked finished at West Ham can become useful again.