Thilo Kehrer could make West Ham debut against Viborg as defensive problems continue

West Ham assistant manager Billy McKinlay has suggested new signing Thilo Kehrer could be involved in some capacity during Thursday’s Europa Conference League play-off against Viborg.

The German international completed a move to east London on Wednesday, signing a four-year contract after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

David Moyes, suspended for the first leg at the London Stadium, still has injury concerns with Craig Dawson struggling with a quad strain and Nayef Aguerd having undergone ankle surgery.

Ben Johnson has had to deputise in central defence for the club’s opening two Premier League games of the season and the tight turnaround in games could hand Kehrer an early debut.

Part of the 25-year-old’s appeal is his versatility across the backline but the dire situation in central areas may see him make his first appearance there, having already trained with the squad.

“We’ll see how he settles in, get a bit of feedback from him and see how he feels over the next 24 hours,” said McKinlay at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference.

“He trained a little bit with us this morning.”

On Kehrer’s best position, the West Ham assistant said: “He’s played predominately for the national team at left-back and centre-back for PSG last season, so we feel we have a really good acquisition for the squad.

“He will be able to add to us in a number of areas.”