In a recent interview (via Football.London), West Ham United striker Sebastien Haller was confirmed to have picked up an injury in training by David Moyes when he said, “We were pretty short, Seb Haller picked up an injury in training yesterday, Michail (Antonio) had a tight hamstring and I didn’t want to take any chances at that time so I changed it.”
Haller’s Impressive Start To This Campaign
This latest update will be a worrying bit of news for anyone associated with the East London club. The French forward was playing some of the best football of his career in English football prior to his injury last week. Hence, Moyes will be hoping that he can make a quick recovery and be fit for the upcoming Premier League matches against Manchester City and Liverpool.
Haller has banged in five goals and grabbed one assist in seven matches for the Hammers this term across various competitions. Despite his recent form, there is no hiding from the fact that he had a frustrating season at the London Stadium in the previous campaign when he registered just seven goals and two assists in 34 appearances for Moyes’ side on all fronts.
The French marksman struggled to give a good account of himself as a first-team striker as he averaged 0.7 tackles, 0.8 clearances, 1.8 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2019-20 Premier League season. Haller also gave away the ball far too often as evident from his pass completion rate of 65.8% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
What Does The French Frontman Add To David Moyes’ Side?
Standing at 1.90m, Haller can intimidate the opposition defenders using his strong frame to outmuscle them in the air. He has a great leap in him and is a brilliant header of the ball. However, the French striker needs to be more clinical in the final third if he wants to regain his place in David Moyes’ first-team. He is even good at converting penalties, so the Hammers will rely on his services a lot, especially in the FA Cup.
Haller’s Recent Injury: Big Blow For The Hammers?
West Ham did well to cope with Haller’s untimely injury by securing a point from their game versus Spurs after pulling off a remarkable comeback from three goals down last weekend. Hence, Moyes’ players will be going into their clashes against Man City and Liverpool with a lot of momentum behind them.
Haller could be in contention to be fit enough for a place on the bench in those games, so his current injury won’t be too big of a blow for Moyes. However, the Frenchman needs to show a clean bill of health if he intends to become a fan-favourite at the London Stadium in the coming years.
