West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has admitted that an injury to Arthur Masuaku provides a real problem for him ahead of this weekend’s clash against Southampton.
The French full-back was signed from Olympiakos earlier this summer to deputise for the injured Aaron Cresswell, who picked up a serious knee injury in pre-season.
With the former Ipswich Town defender still some way off returning to the first-team fold, a new knock to Masuaku leaves the Hammers perilously short in the position for the time being.
Bilic has stated that the Frenchman is set to be on the treatment table for a couple of weeks and as such he will need to have a rethink ahead of the clash with the Saints at the London Stadium.
“It’s definitely a problem, it’s very hard to talk about the length of injuries straight after but it does not look like a major one, a worrying one,” he told Essex Live.
“The first reaction is that it will be a couple of games.”
Masuaku initially looked like a shrewd acquisition and impressed in the first couple of games of the season, but has struggled in the 4-2 defeats to Watford and West Brom in recent weeks.
Cresswell’s absence has been acutely felt by the London club, with the enterprising full-back arguably one of the most important players at Bilic’s disposal.
