Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist discuss ‘monumental loss’ for West Ham United as injury news emerges
Ally McCoist believes Jarrod Bowen will be a “monumental loss” for West Ham after he has been ruled out for an extended period of time.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Wednesday (10 January, 07:22am), the pundit said the England international has been “different class” this season after helping the Hammers up to sixth in the Premier League table.
Host Alan Brazil believes the news surrounding the 27-year-old forward is a “huge blow”, adding that the injury to teammate Lucas Paqueta, who faces four weeks out with a calf injury, has “come at the wrong time”.
“Huge blow for West Ham,” said Brazil. “Top goalscorer Jarrod Bowen has been ruled out for an extended period. I hope it’s not long. Jarrod has 14 goals in all competitions and is only four off his best season total for the Hammers, while Paqueta faces four weeks on the sidelines with an injury sustained against Bristol City.
“Ally, West Ham are six points off the top four, this has just come at the wrong time.”
“Oh, you better believe it has,” responded McCoist. “Did I read somewhere as well that Antonio has had a wee setback? So they’re struggling. Bowen would be a monumental miss. I’ve got to be honest, really like him as a player, different class, I’ve always liked him. I didn’t think he had all those goals in him, he’s been superb.
“That’s a blow clearly. Paqueta, who I think up until recently had assisted every one of their last five goals, has been a revelation as well.”
Concerning
The news coming out about Bowen and Paqueta is hugely concerning as the pair have been absolutely exceptional for West Ham so far this season.
After the pair picked up their injuries in the 1-1 draw with Bristol City in the FA Cup on Sunday (7 January), that game is now looking to have been fairly costly.
The duo had just started to build up a promising partnership with Mohammed Kudus, but the Hammers will also be without him for the next few weeks after he’s joined up with the Ghana squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
There are huge question marks around how David Moyes is going to line up without that trio, with Michail Antonio also out for the next six weeks after he’s suffered a setback in his return from injury.
It means Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma and Danny Ings, who have all struggled for form this season, are all going to have to step up to prove they can still do a job at the London Stadium, with teenager Divin Mubama also likely to receive an extra run in the side.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers could be set to make an approach for an “unbelievable” forward as his club are now open to a sale.