West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta could be sidelined for “at least two months” with a calf injury.
The Brazilian suffered a recurrence of the issue in Sunday’s FA Cup draw with Bristol City, having initially been injured against Arsenal at the end of December.
He missed the goalless draw with Brighton on 2 January and lasted just 14 minutes of the Bristol City tie.
Paqueta is set to see a specialist to determine the extent of the problem.
His absence would be a major blow for manager David Moyes as Paqueta emerged as a key figure in West Ham’s resurgence during 2023.
It was his pass that created Jarrod Bowen’s matchwinner in the Europa Conference League final victory against Fiorentina in June, sealing West Ham’s first trophy in 43 years.
Meanwhile, Bowen is also set to miss a couple of games after being helped off the pitch with an ankle problem on Sunday.
While the damage is not as extensive as initially feared, Bowen is expected to miss the replay with Bristol City at Ashton Gate on 16 January and is unlikely to be fit for the Premier League trip to Sheffield United the following weekend.
The injuries come at a point where West Ham are also without another attacking option in Mohammed Kudus, who is at the African Cup of Nations with Ghana, while veteran Michail Antonio has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury sustained on international duty in November.
It means a potential loan out of London Stadium for Danny Ings is unlikely to be sanctioned, with West Ham officials looking at trying to bring new players into Moyes’ squad.
Sunderland winger Jack Clarke and former Tottenham wide man Steven Bergwijn, who is now at Ajax, have both been mentioned as potential targets.
