Hammers rule out Ljungberg exit

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury has dismissed reports that Freddie Ljungberg will be ushered out of Upton Park in the summer.

The Swede has often struggled to impose himself since moving from Arsenal, with injury preventing him from staking a regular starting berth under Alan Curbishley.

A summer clear-out could be on the cards if Curbishley wishes to take The Hammers to the next level, but Duxbury is adamant that Ljungberg will not be one of those to be shown the door.

"Rumours that Freddie is leaving are nonsense," he told the Echo. "Freddie, with his international experience, is an important player for West Ham in reaching our goal, to play in Europe.

"His pedigree stands for itself. He is an important part of this club’s future. I mean, he's playing the Euros this summer for Sweden and is going to be one of the tournament's big stars. He still has his best years ahead of him."

While Ljungberg looks likely to be spared the axe, Duxbury did confirm that a number of players would be forced to move on in order to make space for new arrivals.

"Our squad is too big, but we only plan to sell players that are not close of getting into the team," added Duxbury.

"We have a very young talented team and experienced star players like Freddie, Craig Bellamy and Lucas Neill, are very important in helping those talents develop."

Source: Setanta Sport