Tomas Soucek injury update emerges as West Ham star forced off in Czechia loss vs Mexico
West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek and his Czech Republic side crashed out of the World Cup on Thursday morning.
The 31-year-old was a second-half substitute, coming on for Tomas Holes in the 64th minute in the 3-0 defeat to Mexico in Mexico City.
However, his game was ended in the 84th minute, as he left the field with an injury.
The result left Miroslav Koubek's side bottom of Group A, with just one point from their three matches.
Soucek will now return to take part in pre-season with the Hammers, after his mandatory 21-day holiday period.
However, his involvement in Nuno Espirito Santo's plans may have been put into doubt.
What happened to West Ham star Tomas Soucek in Czech loss to Mexico?
Soucek left the field of play with an ankle issue, which saw the stretcher brought out at first.
He then hobbled off with the help of the medical staff, after playing just 20 minutes of the contest.
A report from iSport.cz claims that Czech sadness has been further compounded by the "unfortunate" ankle issue.
What does it mean for West Ham?
The extent of Soucek's injury has not been shared yet, so it is unknown what it means for the Irons.
If it is a serious one, then he may miss the opening few weeks of the campaign, although there is a lot of time to recover before it all kicks off in the Championship on the weekend of 14-17 August.
The mental impact may be the worst aspect for the E20 side, though, as he will have been determined to have a good tournament.
Instead, he went off in a crucial game, after his nation had failed to pick up a single victory in their campaign, which will leave him ruing his perfomances.
That can't be a positive for the East London side, as he will come back to Rush Green disappointed, even if he is not set for a spell on the sidelines.
He will likely undergo medical tests, so the potential layoff or lack of one, should be apparent in the coming days.
Soucek will be a vital asset in the second tier, so Nuno will be hoping that it is good news, rather than bad.