Sam Allardyce has confirmed that Nene is likely to make his West Ham United debut against London rivals Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Brazilian, who joined the Hammers on a free transfer last week, was not expected to feature until next month as he worked on improving his fitness levels.

However, due to injuries, Allardyce has admitted that he needs the 33-year-old sooner than expected.

"Nene would have probably featured anyway but he will definitely be involved now because we're down to the two strikers with Andy Carroll's injury and Carlton Cole's new hamstring problem," he told the club's official website.

Most recently the attacker has been playing his football in Qatar with Al Gharafa.