WEST Ham United have gone all European in a concerted attempt to end the club's crippling injury problems.

With first-team players suffering more than 50 injuries last term, rendering frustrated manager Alan Curbishley unable to field a first-choice team all season long.

As a result of the crisis, the Hammers' board commissioned Roehampton University's Sport Performance Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC) to conduct a thorough overview of the club's medical department.

Following the recommendations made in the SPARC study, the Irons have appointed three highly-respected medical experts from the continent.

Greek Nikos Tzouroudis is the club's new chief medical officer, while Italians Marco Cesarini and Giorgio Gasparini have been appointed to the roles of osteopath and rehabilitation physiotherapist respectively.

New technical director Gianluca Nani, who arrived from Brescia last month, is believed to have played a central role in bringing the experienced trio to the club.

Tzouroudis has worked for a host of major European clubs including Panathinaikos, Fiorentina, Verona and Steaua Bucharest.

Cesarini,a collaborator at the Italian Institute of Osteopathy, worked alongside Nani at Brescia.

Gasparini, meanwhile, has worked for Palermo and Sampdoria and has also treated Italian 2006 World Cup winners Filippo Inzaghi and Fabio Cannavaro.

With the club also planning to upgrade its training – by moving to a new, larger site at Rush Green – and medical facilities, Irons chief executive Scott Duxbury said the club was desperate to ensure last year's catastrophe was never repeated.

“The board and manager have taken these decisive steps to ensure the club has the very best support in place for the entire coaching and playing staff,” Duxbury told whufc.com “We sought the best independent advice and over recent months have been looking at home and across the continent for the leading experts in the field.

“I am delighted we have been able to strengthen our existing operation in this way and am confident the benefits will be considerable.”

A host of Irons first-teamers are still battling to be fit for the new Premier League season.

Defenders James Collins, Matthew Upson and Danny Gabbidon and winger Kieron Dyer are all working their way back following extended spells on the sidelines.