West Ham have been dealt an injury blow as they approach theirmeeting with Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Enner Valencia hasunfortunately cut his big toe on a broken cup at his home and may miss out ontheir short trip across London for the big match.
Sam Allardyce was issuing his pre-matchstatement and talked about the prospects ahead: “He had a freak accident at home. He cut his big toe quite severelywith a broken cup. It had to be stitched up in hospital.”
He said: “We’re not sure if he will beconsidered for this game. It was a freak accident.”
Valencia has struck four goals in 25 Premier League appearances sincehis £12 million move from Pachuca, after impressing for Ecuador in the WorldCup 2014 in Brazil. His goal record for The Hammers this term isn't toogreat but he has built a good partnership with Diafra Sakho, and their team hasimproved from last season.
His injury could come at a huge cost against Arsenal as they alreadyhave the likes of Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll on the sidelines.
The club issuffering with poor form since the New Year and one win in eleven outings, haveseen the fans getting on Sam Allardyce's back once again. The big man needsdramatic improvements if he is to continue in the club's hot seat for furtherseasons.
The 25-year-old Ecuador international has also attracted interest fromChelsea this season and he will be looking to get back into the action for theclaret and blues and scoring goals on a regular basis. West Ham have many goodplayers in their side and he is one of those in the mix to take the clubforward. This minor injury could see him sit out for a couple of days as hefaces a tough battle to make the Arsenal clash.
The Hammers have just got back from their trip to Dubai in a bid to helpturn around their recent run of form, as they look for a top ten finish.
Theywere considered Champions League contenders earlier in the season after theirexplosive start, but many players have lost their form and injuries havereduced their flow. Allardyce has to re-group and he will be expecting a changein fortunes as they look to finish the season on a high.
