West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has claimed that it could be difficult for Andriy Yarmolenko to play again this season, having undergone surgery on his Achilles.
The £18million summer signing was stretchered off against Tottenham in last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat, and could be set to spend five to six months on the sidelines.
Despite this though, Pellegrini has accepted that even after the proposed five to six months, it could take time before he can get the 29-year old in the right shape to have an impact for the Hammers, before the season draws to a close in May.
Pellegrini has described the injury as a ‘very difficult’ blow for the club, after the former Borussia Dortmund forward had started to show signs of settling into the Premier League.
Talking about Yarmolenko’s injury before Saturday’s game against Leicester City, Pellegrini said:
Yarmolenko has had surgery and he will be out for around five months.
It’s very disappointing. He’s an important player for us. He’s one of the players who arrived this season, so we could have more technical players.
We also have Manuel Lanzini and Jack Wilshere out, so three players in the same position are out.
It’s a real pity and it’s really difficult for the team.
When pushed on an exact time frame for the Ukraine international’s return, Pellegrini added:
It’s so difficult to know how he will recover, but I don’t think it will be less than five or six months.
You need to recover your best shape, recover your trust, it is not easy.
