West Ham United boss David Moyes has revealed that Michail Antonio will not be involved in his team’s UEFA Europa League Group A tie at SC Freiburg on Thursday night.
The Hammers striker has been feeling a problem with his adductor muscle since Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United and the boss will not be taking any chances with the No9 in Germany.
Antonio will be joined on the sidelines for this fixture by Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson, who are dealing with muscle injuries on their own, as the Irons look for a second victory to start their continental campaign.
“Mick hasn’t travelled, as he has an injury,” Moyes revealed. “As I said at the weekend, he had some tightness in his adductor, so we don’t want to take any risks with him.
“We don’t know yet if he will be ready for the weekend, we just have to try and get him through a few days training if possible and see how he is in his recovery.
“Aaron Cresswell is still recovering from his hamstring injury and Ben Johnson has a little bit of a tight groin as well.”
Freiburg currently sit eighth in the Bundesliga table, so Moyes is fully aware of the level of test his team will prove, and that means he is likely to stick with experience as he looks to find the right formula on Thursday.
Asked whether Antonio’s absence would mean he might turn to Divin Mubama up front at Stadion am Wolfswinkel, the boss said he was more likely to have his opportunity from the bench.
“We’re playing a really good opponent," the manager added. "We like Divin a lot, he’s 18 years-old, he’s learning his trade and he’s coming along really nicely. But would we start him tomorrow night? Probably not.”
