West Ham United manager David Moyes says strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio are facing a race to be fit for the Boxing Day Premier League trip to Arsenal.
Scamacca was forced off during the Hammers’ final preparatory game at Fulham a week ago after taking a knock to his ankle, while Antonio sat out of the trip to Craven Cottage with a calf strain.
With the Premier League resumption just days away, Moyes told his pre-match press conference he will continue to monitor the pair’s fitness but admitted they may miss out.
Should the striking duo not make it, the boss believes he has the options within his squad to cover for the absence.
“Gianluca has an ankle injury and Mick had a calf strain," the boss confirmed. "They’re improving – we’re hoping that they both have a chance, but I’ve got to say they’re doubtful.
“For all the clubs at this moment in time in the Premier League, you never know who’s fit and available and also who’s returned yet from the games in the World Cup.
“Jarrod Bowen is more than capable [of playing down the middle] if we need to do so. Over the last few years we changed Marko Arnautović from a wide player to a centre forward, we’ve done a little bit the same with Micky Antonio, so who’s to say it won’t be Jarrod who’s next?”
Moyes will welcome back his quintet of World Cup players to the fold too, with Declan Rice, Lucas Paquetá, Alphonse Areola, Thilo Kehrer and Nayef Aguerd having all featured in Qatar.
While Aguerd was forced to miss Morocco's quarter-final victory over Portugal and narrow semi-final loss to France with first an injury and then illness, the boss will assess his availability in the coming days too.
“Nayef had a virus and an injury as well, which didn’t help him and were part of the reasons he didn’t play [against France],” Moyes added. “He’s not back in yet, but he’ll be back in tomorrow and we’ll see how he is.”
Kick-off at Arsenal on Boxing Day is at 8pm GMT, with the game being broadcast live in the UK by Amazon Prime and across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners.
