Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that West Ham United will be without January signing Pablo Felipe ‘for a while’ due to an injury which rules him out of the FA Cup fourth-round clash with Burton Albion.
The Hammers will have the vast majority of their players available ahead of the trip to the Pirelli Stadium. Jean-Clair Todibo is still suspended and he will miss out – the Frenchman could make his return against Bournemouth on February 21st after a three-match ban – while Pablo Felipe is a rare injury concern for Nuno Espirito Santo to contend with.
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Nuno said after West Ham United’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United in midweek that former Gil Vicente striker Pablo was facing a spell on the sidelines.
Exactly how long he will be out of action remains to be seen. Nuno confirms that an assessment is still ongoing. But, speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, the head coach could not rule out the prospect of Pablo missing months rather than weeks.
West Ham United fear a long-term absence for Pablo Felipe
“He is injured, unfortunately,” Nuno said. “He is going to be out for a while. We don’t know exactly how long. But his injury is a big blow for us.
“We don’t know [how serious it is at this stage]. We have to assess it, day by day.”
The Hammers will be very glad that they decided to keep hold of Callum Wilson, then. In terms of a Pablo replacement, Taty Castellanos is capable of dropping back into the number ten role, while Mateus Fernandes may be pushed forward in support of a lone striker.
Pablo’s fellow January signing Adama Traore will hope to make his full West Ham debut against Burton with Nuno expected to make a few changes.
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