WEST HAM striker Benni McCarthy has reportedly been fined £80,000 by the club for failing to meet a deadline to prove his fitness.

The South African international's weight ballooned over the summer, when he was not selected to represent his country at the World Cup, and the Daily Mail claims he did not shed enough weight to meet the Hammers' imposed deadline, thus resulting in a hefty fine.

However, it is understood that McCarthy has returned from a specialist fitness clinic in Austria two stone lighter and under the 85kg limit West Ham's medical staff had set.

The news could mean the striker, signed from Blackburn Rovers on a two-and-a-half year deal in January, will be ready for first-team action in the coming weeks.

McCarthy, who is reported to earn around £40,000-a-week with the Irons, has yet to score his first goal for the club.