Confirmed – West Ham first teamer set to be sidelined for six weeks
West Ham defender Ryan Fredericks is set to be sidelined for six weeks after undergoing surgery on an injured shoulder.
The Hammers’ Head of Medical Richard Collinge confirmed the news via an interview with the club’s official website.
The full-back picked up the complaint during a coming together with Manchester City midfielder Rodri when the two sides met last week.
It is understood that Fredericks sustained damaged ligaments in the collision, forcing him to go under the knife.
But there are strong hopes that he will be able to play again this season.
Speaking to WHUFC.com, Collinge said: “Ryan’s surgery went exactly as planned and he will begin his rehabilitation and recovery immediately, with the plan being for him to be available again in early to mid-April.”
How big of a blow will this be for the Hammers?
Let’s not beat around the bush here, David Moyes’ men are in trouble, and the last thing they need is to be losing vital players like Fredericks to injury.
The right back is the undisputed first choice in his position when he is fit and firing, and having him out of the side for such a crucial six week period in the season is a major setback.
The only silver lining, and even then it is an unproven one, is that Jeremy Ngakia impressed hugely when he came into the side against Liverpool.
The teenager offers a similar kind of physicality to Fredericks, and bearing in mind he was facing one of the most fearsome attacks in world football, he held his own well at Anfield.
Making five tackles, three interceptions, and four clearances, as per Whoscored, this was an assured outing, and hopefully he he can do a decent job of filling the void left by Fredericks.
In other West Ham news, ‘He knows it’ – Danny Mills claims Hammers mainstay let teammates down v Liverpool.