West Ham United: Journalist shares new Jarrod Bowen return date at London Stadium
There is “hope” behind the scenes at West Ham that Jarrod Bowen will only miss one Premier League game, according to Malik Ouzia.
The England international was initially ruled out for at least a month with the ankle injury sustained against Bristol City last weekend.
However, writing for The Standard [12 January], Ouzia revealed Bowen could be back as early as 1 February for the clash with Bournemouth.
Ouzia added that Lucas Paqueta’s calf problem, aggravated in the same game, is still expected to see him miss around eight-to-10 weeks.
Better news
Losing Paqueta and Bowen at the same time that Mohammed Kudus is away for the Africa Cup of Nations was the worst-case scenario.
United manager David Moyes would already have wanted to bring in a new striker even before last week’s developments.
Being without Paqueta for possibly two months is a massive blow, of course, but at least Bowen’s injury is not as bad as first feared.
As it turns out, January is a very quiet month for West Ham – one that would have been even quieter had they not slipped up against Bristol City.
They have just that replay at Ashton Gate and a trip to Sheffield United left to come before the end of the month.
Let’s hope Bowen uses these next couple of weeks to rest up and ensure he is ready for the showdown with Bournemouth.
In other West Ham news, a “strange” player development this week could mean an exit is close.