Lucas Paqueta suffering from illness over delayed betting probe which could see West Ham midfielder banned for life

Paqueta has been charged by the FA over four counts of alleged spot-fixing related to deliberately picking up yellow cards in matches for betting purposes. If found guilty, the Brazilian will face a lifetime ban from football. As the West Ham star anxiously waits for the judgment, he reportedly has caught an illness due to anxiety over the delay in the betting probe.

Speaking to reporters, former Chelsea coach and current Hammers manager Potter said: "The week he had was particularly tough for him personally, which I think everybody can understand. And then, as a result of that, he was feeling under the weather on the day before the game at Manchester United and during the game.

"So I didn’t want to risk him and make it worse for him. But he’s trained really well, he wants to be part of the team to help and we’ll see how to use him for the weekend."

Earlier this month, during a Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur, Paqueta was reduced to tears after he picked up a yellow card for a foul on Mickey Moore. After the match, the Brazilian's wife, Maria Eduarda Fournier, shared an emotional note on social media while claiming the family is going through a nightmare.

The Hammers will be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they take on Nottingham Forest in their final home match of the 2024-25 campaign.