West Ham manager David Moyes has revealed that Michail Antonio, James Collins and Javier Hernandez all remain sidelined ahead of their clash with Leicester on Friday.
Moyes however did confirm that forwards Marko Arnautovic and Andre Ayew will be fit to play against the Foxes in his first Premier League match at the London Stadium.
Austrian international and club record signing Arnautovic was taken off during their 2-0 loss to Watford with a suspected broken thumb, but Moyes confirmed that there was no fracture and that he had trained with the squad.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference, as quoted by football.london on their live blog (13:43), Moyes said: “We thought it was bad. There are no breaks, it was badly swollen. He’s fine and has trained with a good plaster on it.”
He went on to confirm that fellow attacker Andre Ayew had returned to training after a short illness, as previously reported by football.london. “Ayew has taken a couple of days to find his feet but is back in,” he confirmed.
Moyes admitted that striker Javier Hernandez remains out after a hamstring injury sustained on international duty, with Antonio and Collins sidelined too.
“Hernandez we are hoping will start running next week. Collins and Antonio won’t play, they are short of match practice,” he added (13:44).
OPINION
Arnautovic, whilst heavily criticised for his poor performances this season, remains a key figure for Moyes. The Austrian offers unpredictability and penetration up front, and his availability will be a big boost. Ayew will also be welcomed back, with the Ghanaian missing out v Watford. Moyes would also have liked to have Antonio back, as the England man has been one of West Ham’s best players this season, but the Leicester game comes too soon. Collins is a long-term absentee but should return in the next few games, and Hernandez was always expected to miss this match.