According to West Ham insider Claret and Hugh, Arthur Masuaku is not expected to return to action until mid-April, as the Congo international continues to suffer with a knee injury.
Claret and Hugh report that the 27-year-old opted to have surgery after a long-standing knee issue saw him sidelined after 3-1 defeat to Manchester United on December 5.
The outlet reported at the time that the wing-back was expected to be out for eight weeks, that period has of course been and gone and it looks it will be a five-month layoff once Masuaku finally returns.
Claret and Hugh’s recent findings claim that whilst Masuaku is at least now in the rehab stage of his recovery, he’s at least a month away from being part of the matchday squad.
The Premier League encounter against top four rivals Leicester is named as a potential return date, that take place on April 10.
A return ahead of the tie against the Foxes would leave David Moyes with Masuaku back for the final eight top-flight fixtures of the season, which would still be massive as the side look to quality for Europe.
Masuaku was impressing for the Hammers in a left wing-back role before the injury, it’s a real shame for the east London outfit that the blow has proven to be considerably worse than expected.
Thankfully for the side, Aaron Cresswell has been brilliant since he was shifted back out to wing-back when Masuaku went down, whilst a recent return to 3-4-2-1 has seen academy graduate Ben Johnson get a run in the team.