West Ham manager Slaven Bilic knows he cannot escape the firing line… even if they beat Swansea

Slaven Bilic admits questions about his future will continue even if West Ham beat Swansea on Saturday and move out of the Premier League’s bottom three.

Bilic is in the final year of his contract, with no sign of a new deal on the table from co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold.

His future was the subject of renewed debate after the 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham. “Once it [the debate] is opened, it doesn’t stop, game by game or every two games,” he said. “That’s the way it is in modern football.

“I don’t think about my contract - I have my contract.”

Rumours were rife Rafa Benitez was being lined up to replace Bilic last month, after West Ham were beaten by the Spaniard’s Newcastle team, but Sullivan and Gold have a history of standing by managers - at least until their contracts run out.

Bilic lost Michail Antonio in the first half against Spurs with a groin injury which looks certain to keep him out at least until after the international break following this weekend’s action.

He will be boosted, however, by the return of Manuel Lanzini, possibly for the clash against Swansea, while Pedro Obiang and James Collins, who both missed the Spurs match, are nearing fitness.

Pablo Zabaleta believes his West Ham team-mates should have more self-belief. “We still can improve as a team in a lot of things,” said the former Manchester City star. “We have a strong squad and we need to believe in ourselves, to know we can compete and win games.”

West Ham captain Mark Noble, meanwhile, admitted the team were left stunned after conceding two first-half goals in five minutes.

“We were a bit in shock to be 2-0 down at half-time,” he said. “We played well for the first 35 minutes but the two goals killed us a bit.”