West Ham have been dealt a major boost after scans revealed the knee injury picked up by Michail Antonio on international duty is not as serious as first feared.
Antonio suffered medial knee ligament damage while playing for Jamaica against Canada last weekend and there were concerns that a serious rupture could see the forward ruled out until well into the New Year.
Instead, however, he is expected to return within the next month after medical assessments by club staff found only a strain.
The news will be particularly welcome given that Jarrod Bowen also saw his international break cut short by a knee problem, though England boss Gareth Southgate suggested the 26-year-old’s absence from Monday night’s draw with North Macedonia was precautionary.
Antonio began the season in strong form but has not scored since August and struggled badly in recent weeks, losing his place to Bowen, whom David Moyes has redeployed at centre-forward.
While there is relief that Antonio’s injury is not more severe, the Hammers' hectic schedule means Moyes’s resources will still be stretched in his absence in the coming weeks.
Commitments in both the Europa League and Carabao Cup mean West Ham face a gruelling run of 11 matches in 39 days, starting with Saturday’s trip to Burnley.
Former Turf Moor employees Danny Ings and Maxwel Cornet look to be in contention to lead the line in that game, assuming Moyes does not hand a first Premier League start to young striker Divin Mubama.
West Ham remain keen to sign a new forward in January, having not directly replaced Gianluca Scamacca in the summer, but are wary of falling foul of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules having been placed on a Uefa watchlist last year.
