Just when things were looking up again for West Ham United, the east Londoners are knocked completely out of their stride.
It was already known that captain and talisman, Declan Rice, was going to miss the Monday night match against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the Daily Mail have confirmed that the midfielder will miss a month of action.
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The knee injury that Rice picked up on England duty means that he will be absent for the other crucial games against Leicester City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Burnley.
Thereafter, the Hammers will have four games (Everton, Brighton, West Brom and Southampton) to get the results they need to guarantee European football at the London Stadium next season.
After such a magnificent campaign, this is a cruel blow for David Moyes’ aspirations for his side.
From a personal perspective, Rice will hope to be back before season’s end or run the risk of missing out on a place at the European Championship with the national team.