West Ham forgotten man Alex Kral’s parent club Spartak Moscow are set to be kicked out of the Europa League last 16.
That’s according to reports from the likes of Sky Sports this afternoon.
Kral joined West Ham on a season-long loan from the Russian club in the summer.
But the Czech midfielder has barely had a kick for West Ham.
After cruising through the group stages, West Ham set up a last 16 tie against Spanish side Sevilla following the draw on Friday.
Spartak Moscow also won their group and were drawn to play German side RB Leipzig in the last 16.
West Ham forgotten man Alex Kral’s club Spartak Moscow set to be kicked out of Europa League last 16
But now Kral’s parent club Spartak look set to be kicked out of the Europa League last 16 by UEFA following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“UEFA are planning to remove Spartak Moscow from this season’s Europa League in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Sky Sports reports.
“The Russian side have been drawn to play RB Leipzig in the last 16, with the second leg scheduled to be played in Moscow on March 17.”
What that means for West Ham’s fellow Europa League last 16 qualifiers remains to be seen.
Will RB Leipzig be given a bye to the next round? Will one of the beaten play-off round sides be reinstated?
West Ham have their hands full with a two-legged affair against four time Europa League winners Sevilla.
But the impending UEFA action is sure to have ramifications across the competition.
Kral has made two appearances for West Ham in the Europa League this season. The curly-haired midfielder has only started three games all season for the Hammers in all competitions.
Indeed he has made just six appearances in total, including as a substitute.
It is perhaps not a huge surprise given West Ham duo Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek are guaranteed starters.
But West Ham fans had expected to see more of the Czech Republic international given the club’s progress across all competitions this term.
Kral has become something of a forgotten man at West Ham. But he may well see some action when Moyes’s side take on Southampton in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.