Song makes comeback as West Ham confirm lengthy absence for Payet

Alex Song stepped up his recovery from an ankle injury by playing in West Ham’s 1-0 friendly win over Crystal Palace.

The on-loan Barcelona midfielder is yet to feature in his second consecutive temporary spell with the Upton Park club as a result of the long-term problem.

But the 28-year-old played 70 minutes in Wednesday’s behind-closed-doors game.

Meanwhile, West Ham have confirmed that attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet will not play again until February as they wait to learn the full extent of the ankle injury the former Marseille man sustained during Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Everton.

“Dimitri had a scan on Sunday and we saw the specialist at a central London hospital on Monday,” said West Ham’s head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke on the club’s official website.

“He is scheduled to see the specialist again next Monday and I will be able to give more detail regarding Dimitri’s medical condition following this second meeting, which will decide whether or not he needs to undergo an operation.

“It is a fact that he will be out until February, whether he has an operation or not.”

Vandenbroucke added that Enner Valencia will have an ankle injury of his own assessed next Monday, while fellow forward Diafra Sakho is on course to face Tottenham after the international break if he does not suffer any further setbacks with a thigh problem.