Five West Ham players absent from Friday training
West Ham United’s 4-0 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday night was the perfect tonic for everyone associated with the club.
Newly-reappointed manager David Moyes returned to the London Stadium with a bang, and his players responded superbly.
Now, though, their focus must turn to the FA Cup on Sunday, where they’ll face League One outfit Gillingham at the Priestfield Stadium.
Unfortunately for the Scot, he may have to do without several of his first team stars for that game.
That’s because Football London journalist Sam Inkersole reported on his personal Twitter account on Friday that five senior players missed training on Friday.
“Lukasz Fabianski, Mark Noble, Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna and Michail Antonio all didn’t train today for West Ham ahead of the FA Cup game against Gillingham on Sunday,” he wrote.
Both Antonio and Fabianski aren’t far removed from spells out injured, so it would be something of a surprise if either man featured on Sunday.
Ogbonna, Cresswell and Noble all started the win over Eddie Howe’s side, as did Fabianski, meaning Moyes may have to shuffle his pack against Gills.
In other West Ham news, the club are said to be in a strong position to sign a 6ft 4in defensive midfield behemoth.