New West Ham United head coach Graham Potter has suffered a serious injury setback with Niclas Fullkrug sidelined for up to three months.
The 31-year-old striker fell with a hamstring injury during Friday night’s 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup and left the field in visible discomfort.
Fullkrug eventually had to be helped into the tunnel by West Ham’s medical team as Potter and the club’s fans sweated over the extent of the problem.
Potter, who was named Julen Lopetegui’s successor on Thursday, told reporters after the game: “I would imagine it’s a pretty serious hamstring injury when you pull yourself up like that, so that’s a concern for us.”
Sky Sport Germany Scans carried out on Saturday reportedly showed that Potter was right to be scared as Fullkrug was sidelined for an extended period – the second time he has suffered a sustained injury after suffering a problem with his Achilles tendon during his international match was on duty with Germany in September.
West Ham could now be forced to hit the transfer market as they are already missing captain Jarrod Bowen, who broke his foot in the recent 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, and Michail Antonio, who is recovering from multiple injuries – including a broken leg – recovered – suffered a life-threatening car accident shortly before Christmas.
32-year-old Danny Ings could be brought into the team in the short term, but his tally of four goals in 47 Premier League games for West Ham is unlikely to convince Potter that he is the answer for the future.
Mohammed Kudus could also be deployed centrally in the false nine role, although West Ham could look to keep him on the wing if Crysencio Summerville’s criticism of Friday’s defeat proves substantive.