West Ham United Head Coach Julen Lopetegui provided an update on Jarrod Bowen ahead of Saturday's trip to Manchester City in the Premier League.
The Hammers captain, who has been ever-present this season in attack, sustained a fractured foot injury in the first half of last weekend's game against Liverpool at London Stadium.
During his pre-match press conference on Thursday, Lopetegui remained tight-lipped about how long he expects to be without Bowen, and who might be in line to wear the captain's armband in his absence.
“It’s not going to be a few days,” said the Spaniard. “Unfortunately for us, he [Bowen] has an injury and was able to play 30 minutes with the injury [against Liverpool]. He now needs to rest and recover. It’s not good news for us, but it’s a moment for other players to show they’re ready to help us, and we are sure Jarrod is going to do everything to make his recovery period shorter because of his character.
“I prefer to not give a specific number [of weeks out], but we have to see how he is going to develop over the next weeks. Jarrod is one of our main players for sure and our captain too, but now we have to be able to find a solution. We believe in the players in our squad who are going to try and take advantage of the opportunity.
“Let’s see [who is going to become the stand-in captain]. We have a leadership group, with the likes of Aaron [Cresswell] and Tomáš [Souček]. For sure, we will have one good captain, not only on the pitch but in the dressing room also, and it’s not something we are worried about.”
Elsewhere, goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański is also not eligible for selection for the clash with Pep Guardiola’s team, and is now following the Premier League’s concussion protocols in the wake of his head injury and first-half withdrawal at Southampton on Boxing Day.
While Tomáš Souček and Guido Rodríguez are back in contention, after each serving one-match suspensions against Liverpool, Lopetegui expects all of his players to step up amidst squad absences, including Niclas Füllkrug, who has gradually increased his influence in his appearances, and notched an assist for Bowen's winner at St Mary's Stadium.
The Head Coach added: “He [Fabiański] is following the concussion protocols after sustaining a head injury, so we have to fulfil this. He has to wait ten days [before he can feature again], and after this he is going to be ready to help us, but we have all of our trust in Alphonse [Areola] and Wes [Foderingham], who are both ready.
“Niclas [Füllkrug] is getting better step by step and putting his body in the best condition because he was out for a long time, and he’s one player who is ready to help us. He’s an option for us, as is Danny Ings and other players who can play in this position. He’s ready to help us, that’s for sure.”
