Pablo ‘out for a while’ as Nuno delivers fresh West Ham team news update
Nuno Espirito Santo has revealed that Pablo is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines at West Ham United.
West Ham signed Pablo from Portuguese side Gil Vicente in the winter transfer window for a reported fee of £21million.
The 22-year-old has helped the Hammers turn their fortunes around in the Premier League, winning three of their last five top-flight games.
Their survival chances looked all but over midway through January, but the East London outfit are now just three points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Nuno Espirito Santo confirms Pablo injury
Pablo was left out of the squad for West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Tuesday evening, sparking concerns that the Brazilian had picked up an injury.
Those worries have now been confirmed, and the latest update on the forward’s fitness is not good reading for Hammers fans.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, ahead of the Hammers’ FA Cup tie against Burton Albion on Saturday, Nuno has confirmed that Pablo is injured and that he will be out for a while.
The Portuguese manager said: “He (Pablo) is injured, unfortunately. He is going to be out for a while.
“We don’t know exactly how long, but yeah, he’s injured. It’s a big blow for us.”
While the specifics of the issue and his expected recovery time haven’t been confirmed, it’s clear that West Ham will be without their new signing for an extended period.
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Nuno gives fitness update on full squad
As well as Pablo, West Ham will be without Jean-Clair Todibo for the trip to Burton on Saturday, with the centre-back serving the third and final game of his red card suspension.
Todibo was sent off against Chelsea back at the end of January, after grabbing Joao Pedro by the throat during a brawl in the closing stages.
However, Nuno has revealed that apart from Pablo and Todibo, the Hammers have no other players unavailable for the FA Cup tie.
It means that the former Nottingham Forest boss may decide to rotate his squad in order to give some of his first-team stars a break.
The Hammers will be desperate not to lose any momentum though, so it would be no surprise to see Nuno field a very strong team at the Pirelli Stadium.