West Ham United have been dealt a double injury blow as their captain Mark Noble hobbled off in the first half while Manuel Lanzini had to be stretchered off towards the dying embers of the clash versus Burnley on Saturday. The Hammers lost the game by a 3-0 scoreline, but the result was not the end of their misery.
Claret and Hugh have now reported that Lanzini will undergo surgery on Monday after sustaining a fractured collarbone which could keep him out of action for four to eight weeks. Noble will have a scan tomorrow to determine the extent of his ankle injury that he has picked up versus the Clarets (via Claret and Hugh).
West Ham’s Recent Troubles In The English Top-Flight
This recent development will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Hammers as they are currently struggling to get favourable results in the Premier League. West Ham are in free-fall as they have not won in any of their past seven matches across all competitions.
They have lost five matches during the wretched run which has put a lot of pressure on Manuel Pellegrini’s shoulders. So the last thing the Chilean head coach wanted was the injuries to two of his key personnel at the London Stadium.
Can The Hammers Cope With The Absence Of Noble and Lanzini?
Noble is one of the most consistent performers of the Hammers first-team. Therefore, Declan Rice will have to step up along with Carlos Sanchez in the Englishman’s absence. Jack Wilshere is still out with an injury and so Pellegrini will be short of midfield options after the international break if Noble’s injury is serious.
On the other hand, Lanzini brings a lot of creativity to the West Ham midfield. Hence, the likes of Felipe Anderson and Pablo Fornals will need to find some consistency with their performances on the pitch. However, it won’t be easy for them to fill Lanzini’s void after the international break.
The Argentine is one of the best dribblers in the West Ham first-team, so Pellegrini will have no choice but to put some faith on Wilshere’s attacking ability when he makes his return later this month. Even then, it seems like that Hammers will be in for a tough couple of months as the fixtures pile up thick and fast in the English top-flight during the busy winter months.
