West Ham star Michail Antonio set to miss most of their unlikely Champions League push as Hammers striker undergoes a scan on hamstring injury picked up in Monday’s win at Wolves
- West Ham are braced for a blow to their top four hopes after an injury setback
- Michail Antonio hobbled off during Monday night’s win against Wolves
- Antonio has undergone a scan and is set to miss a significant part of the run in
- The Hammers are pushing for Champions League football next season
West Ham are braced for another significant injury setback in their bid to make the top four, this time over Michail Antonio.
Striker Antonio had to come off in the first half of West Ham’s 3-2 win at Wolves on Monday with a hamstring problem.
Antonio has undergone scans on the injury in his left leg and though the severity has yet to be officially confirmed fourth-placed West Ham fear he is set to miss a significant part of their eight-game run in and bid to finish in the Champions League places.
West Ham are braced for a blow to their top four hopes following a significant injury setback
The concerns about an extended spell on the sidelines for Antonio come after key midfielder Declan Rice was ruled out for four weeks with a knee injury picked up on England international duty.
West Ham have also been missing centre-back Angelo Ogbonna due to an ankle problem and forward Andriy Yarmalenko following a knee injury, both since early February.
However Ogbonna was back in training on Wednesday while Yarmalenko has also stepped up his recovery by returning to light training.
Michail Antonio was withdrawn at Molineux on Monday during their win against Wolves
Antonio’s absence would deal a huge blow to David Moyes’ side’s hopes of making the top four
Antonio has suffered hamstring issues in the past and, subsequently, West Ham and the 31 year-old take added caution with his fitness and managing his returns which could also impact his comeback.
Manager David Moyes said after the Wolves win: ‘Mick felt his hamstring a little bit and we’ve just got to hope it’s nothing too bad, but if you’re a West Ham supporter know you all about Mick’s hamstrings, so we’ve got to be really wary of it.’
Jarrod Bowen, who has scored in his last two games, is in line to deputise up front for Antonio after replacing him at Molineux.
Moyes added: ‘If Jarrod plays as well as he did [against Wolves] up front, then that’ll help us, but we’re just beginning to run a little bit low on bodies at the moment.’