West Ham manager David Moyes is set to rush Michail Antonio back to first team action, according to the Daily Star.
The newspaper claim that Moyes is concerned about the Hammers’ lack of firepower following injuries to Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Manuel Lanzini.
The Daily Star report that Antonio was expected to be ready for action soon as he was due to return to training this week.
The 27-year-old winger hasn’t featured in West Ham’s last five league games and his last Premier League appearance was in the 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United in December.
Antonio also missed three games earlier in the campaign with a rib injury, despite this he has still managed 15 appearances this season.
However, the winger only managed to grab one goal and failed to grab an assist in his 15 outings.
The Daily Star also report that Moyes’ other attacking options; Diafra Sakho, Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez could potentially leave the club in January.
OPINION
Moyes shouldn’t rush Antonio back to the starting line-up, as it would benefit no one. While the 27-year-old is needed due to the club being hit by injury; they don’t want to see him return to the sideline anytime soon. If the winger is brought back before he’s completely ready, it’s very likely he could re-injure his calf or sustain another injury. The winger would also not be very effective in his appearances, if he features before being fully fit. While Moyes might be keen to get him back involved as soon as possible, due to the club only being four points clear of the relegation zone, he needs to resist the urge.