West Ham missing Declan Rice and four other first team players for friendlies with season just over two weeks away

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West Ham United fans have been left worrying about injuries before a ball has even been kicked in the new season.

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West Ham have a terrible history of injuries.

Last season long-term injuries to Lukasz Fabianski and Michail Antonio threw West Ham’s season completely off course.

Lack of West Ham squad depth exposed as five miss friendlies

That was as much a damning indictment of a lack of depth in the Hammers squad than it was the club’s fitness record.

But now with the season just over two weeks away West Ham fans are already biting their nails after five first team players were missing from the double header of pre-season friendlies against Wycombe Wanderers and Ipswich on Tuesday.

The first team was split for the matches.

And across the two games there was no Declan Rice, Lukasz Fabianski, Robert Snodgrass, Issa Diop or Ryan Fredericks.

It is unclear why the five first teamers did not feature.

Rice and Diop absence sparks rumours

But fans are instinctively worried that they may be injured ahead of what is an extremely tough start to the season for the east Londoners.

Of particular concern was the absence of star man Declan Rice.

That in itself gave rise to speculation there could be something in new speculation that Chelsea are ready to pay West Ham’s asking price for the midfielder (Football Insider).

Diop has also been linked with a move away. The Sun claims the Hammers are willing to sell the French defender for £45million.

Trio suffered injury issues last season

Fabianski, Snodgrass and Fredericks all experienced injury problems last season. That will add even more weight to the theories they might be injured.

If the five are injured or – in the case of Diop and Rice – potentially on the way out it is worrying times for West Ham.

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And there is no sign of any transfer activity to address those issues.

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