West Ham are finally seeing their failings in the transfer windows catch up to them. The Hammers have lost three players to long-term injures. Arthur Masuaku and Angelo Ogbonna are likely to be out until March, whereas Andriy Yarmlonko is set to miss the remainder of the season.
While Ogbonna is definitely the biggest miss in the team, fortunately, he is probably the most replaceable with the current squad. David Moyes has experience defenders Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena to choose from. One of the two will be picked to partner Craig Dawson in the side.
Moyes is likely to go with Diop. The Frenchman has a bit more pace than Balbuena and considering Dawson is not the quickest it could be a wise choice. Diop has fallen from grace a bit this season and has seen his performance level decline. There were rumours that he could have been sent out on loan in January as he had dropped down the pecking order.
When the 24-year-old was signed from Toulouse, he showed that he could be a top defender and this could be his chance to get back on track.
Despite injuries, West Ham are still expected to name a strong side against Sheffield United in their next Premier League fixture.
West Ham play Sheffield United on Monday and could still name a strong starting eleven. Michail Antonio is expected to be fit after he was rested from the club’s match against Manchester United. The striker is key to the Hammer’s success but is currently nursing a hamstring that seems like it could go at any point.
Yarmolenko was expected to play as Antonio’s for the remainder of the season. Now he is in the medical room, Ademipo Obudeko will have to take the initiative and play backup to Antonio. The youngster has only appeared in the FA Cup and is yet to show his full capability in the first-team.
Moyes will also be able to recall Jesse Lingard to the line-up. The Englishman did not play against his parent club in the week. Lingard started his Hammers life with a scintillating performance against Aston Villa. A disappointing performance against Fulham followed this, however, the whole team was below par.
With a six-day rest between the defeat to Manchester United and the match against the Blades; West Ham’s players should have had a fair amount of rest and be back to their exciting selves at the London Stadium.