Samir Nasri could make his West Ham debut as early as Wednesday after signing a short-term contract until the end of the season.

The 31-year-old former France midfielder signed the deal on the day an 18-month ban for a doping infraction expired.

He could now face Brighton on Wednesday night with manager Manuel Pellegrini battling a lengthy injury list and some tired legs.

Premier League rules state that no new players registered at the start of this transfer window would be eligible to play in the upcoming round of fixtures.

However that does not apply to Nasri given he was a free agent and signed before the window opened, with West Ham having space for him in their Premier League squad.

Nasri, has been training with the Hammers,  has been without a club since leaving Antalyaspor of Turkey last January. He previously played in the Premier League with Arsenal and Manchester City, winning two titles with the latter, the second of which came under Pellegrini in 2014.

"I'm really happy that West Ham and Manuel Pellegrini have given me a chance to be playing again," Nasri told West Ham TV. "I know the manager really well. We won the Premier League title together and I'm really passionate about my job.

"Pellegrini was the biggest factor for me to be joining West Ham. When you're a player, you want the manager to know your quality and want you because he's the one that is going to be playing the team, and knows your quality. It was really important and I'm just looking forward to it.

"I love his philosophy and the way he thinks about football. The guy is a genius. He thinks a lot about everything and he has that mentality about football, and we share the same mentality."

In February last year, Nasri was handed an initial six-month ban – later extended to 18 months and back-dated to July 2017 – for receiving an intravenous treatment at a Los Angeles clinic in breach of the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules.

The ban came shortly after the cancellation of his Antalyaspor contract, and Nasri admitted he thought his career was over.

"I had some really tough moments when I was really down," he said. "Mentally I'm really strong, but for maybe the first time in my life, I cried about my career because I thought it was over.

"I'm 31 years old now and I'm more mature. If it was five years ago maybe I would have some problem with it or talk too much about it.

"When you've been out for a year and you think it's over, you think completely differently after that.

"I was just looking on TV and I wasn't able to train, and in the meantime, I had a son. A lot of things have changed in my life, and for the best. I'm really happy about it. I'm just blessed.

"I'm lucky to have a second chance. Not everyone in life has a second chance and I do. I know I will give 100 per cent."