West Ham midfielder Carlos Sanchez is to undergo immediate medical tests on his potential injury blow suffered in the 8-0 win over Macclesfield Town on Wednesday evening, according to the London Evening Standard.
The newspaper report that after the 88-cap Colombian midfielder was named among the starting XI for the League Cup clash against the League Two side but was forced off early on with what looked to be a muscle injury, he is to be given medical attention on Thursday to assess the damage.
With a clash against Manchester United this weekend, it is stated that Declan Rice, who replaced the 32-year-old after his setback, is set to keep his place in an early piece of team news for the Premier League encounter.
Opinion
To be fair to Manuel Pellegrini and the Hammers, they will not be too worried about Sanchez’s injury blow no matter what the outcome is. He is very much a second choice midfielder – hence why he was chosen to start against minnows Macclesfield – and with Rice in as fine form as he is right now, there was little chance the Colombian would have been keeping his place against Jose Mourinho’s men were he fit or not. Still, with Jack Wilshere also out of action, it will be a concern that the number of options in midfield is dwindling, but there should be enough quality in the squad to make up for the injured duo’s absences for now. As for Rice starting against United, it remains to be seen whether the minutes he was handed, probably unexpectedly, tire him out or keep him on his toes, having been in some great form over the last couple of weeks. Manchester United look as weak as they ever have done but that is not to say they will be pushovers, and Rice and his teammates will have to be on top of their games.