West Ham United boss David Moyes has received a blow if the latest claims about Michail Antonio are accurate.
Coufal gets the Haller treatment but West Ham fans calling for action have short memories
Antonio was out for five weeks with a hamstring injury before coming back into the West Ham side for the win over Aston Villa.
Many fans questioned whether it was wise to rush him back.
Hammers ham-strung by Antonio injury problems
And they were proved right to be cautious as Antonio did not look himself and was withdrawn at half-time with a new hamstring complaint.
He was expected to be available for the Manchester United game until it was revealed near kick off that he was unavailable.
Moyes told the press before that game that Antonio was training alone and the Scot hoped the new strain was not too serious.
However with West Ham playing on Friday night this week, many expected Antonio to miss the trip to Elland Road as well.
Insiders claim Antonio could be out longer than expected
But according to West Ham insiders Claret & Hugh, Antonio will also miss the game against Crystal Palace next week.
Claret & Hugh claim Antonio will not be in contention for a return until Christmas week when West Ham face Chelsea.
And before that Moyes wants the striker to test his match fitness by playing for West Ham Under 23s – most likely against Everton next Monday, December 14th.
If he does feature in that game, it will almost certainly rule him out of the Palace match which comes just two days later.
What does Moyes do now as Haller doubts remain?
The big question now is what Moyes does with his team selection to get West Ham back on track.
The Hammers dominated Man United for an hour before surrendering a 1-0 lead to lose 3-1 at the weekend.
Sebastien Haller continues to struggle regardless of where you stand over whose fault that is.
With no other genuine striker options at his disposal, Moyes will surely start Haller up front against Leeds and Palace.
But there are suggestions doing the rounds from the likes of Claret & Hugh and ExWHUemployee that he could throw a curve ball and play Said Benrahma or Andriy Yarmolenko up front instead.
Moyes may get transfer treat rather than a new West Ham contract in January as owners plan deal
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