Legendary commentator John Motson shared that he was worried about West Ham having enough midfielders to play against Burnley on Saturday.
The 73-year-old claimed that due to Mark Noble being set to serve a suspension for the red card he received against Leicester City on Saturday, which was a big blow for the Hammers, he claimed it left them even shorter in midfield.
Motson suggested that due to Noble’s absence and the club already being short in that area of their team due to injuries, then he claimed they’d almost be at risk of not having enough midfielders to choose from for their next league clash.
“It’s a big blow (Noble’s red card) for West Ham,” said Motson on talkSPORT (October 29, 12:38pm).
“And he’ll have a three game suspension I imagine now, and they’re already without Yarmolenko for the season, Lanzini long-term and Jack Wilshere.
“They’re gonna struggle to get a midfielder on the pitch almost against Burnley this coming Saturday.
“Of course that’s apart from the fact Noble is the captain and very much the leader.”
OPINION
Motson is a little dramatic with his suggestion that the Hammers are on the brink of struggling to find a midfielder to play against Burnley, as it isn’t that bad yet. However then again after central midfielder Pedro Obiang missed the Hammers’ outing against the Foxes then perhaps Motson’s worry is justified. Manuel Pellegrini does seem to be getting dealt some rather bad luck regarding injuries this season as most of his injury concerns are regarding his midfielders. Yet while the Hammers did spend big in the summer, at the time it did seem like they needed more numbers in midfield as David Moyes struggled for options last season. Hopefully the Hammers manager gets handed funds in January in order to welcome at least two new midfielders because even if the likes of Manuel Lanzini or Jack Wilshere are back fully fit, the squad’s depth in that area is simply not good enough.
