Nuno Espirito Santo rocked by monumental new West Ham injury blow

Nuno Espirito Santo has been hit by a monumental new injury blow to West Ham starting striker just two weeks into the job.

With a potentially season-defining run of winnable games coming up after the international break, losing his main striker Niclas Fullkrug is the last thing the new head coach needs right now.

West Ham’s upcoming run of matches could go a long way to deciding their Premier League survival hopes.

The Hammers have three home games in the next four matches.

Nuno Espirito Santo will be looking for lift-off as West Ham face Brentford before going to Leeds four days apart.

The Irons then welcome Newcastle and Burnley to the London Stadium for back-to-back home games before the November international break.

Hammers face crucial run of games for survival hopes

But Nuno will likely have to make do without striker Fullkrug after he picked up yet another injury.

The new Hammers boss has made it clear who he feels his best striker option is since taking over from Graham Potter.

Fullkrug started in both of Nuno’s matches so far, playing 94 minutes at Everton and for over an hour as the leading man at Arsenal.

The big German had two very poor matches.

Nuno’s decision to snub Callum Wilson and bring on young Callum Marshall for Fullkrug at the Emirates spoke volumes too.

Now there could be more chances coming for Marshall very soon.

Because Nuno has been rocked by a monumental new West Ham injury blow as Fullkrug suffers a tear to a group of thigh muscles.

West Ham fans were furious when transfer deadline day came and went without a new striker arriving to add much-needed depth to one of the oldest and most injury-prone forward lines in Premier League history, of Fullkrug and Wilson.

Fullkrug, who turns 33 this season and has a long history of serious injuries throughout his career, spent six of the nine months of his debut season out injured.

Hammers striker Fullkrug suffered yet another injury on international duty with Germany during the September break.

Nuno hit by new West Ham injury blow as Fullkrug suffers tear

That proved to be a minor knock with the ex Dortmund forward sitting out just one game.

But now Fullkrug is set for a spell on the sidelines after tearing a group of muscles in his thigh in West Ham training.

The Hammers have been posting images and video from training in recent days and eagle-eyed fans may have spotted Fullkrug was not involved.

Now Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann has confirmed the season why.

Fullkrug was not called up by Nagelsmann for the clashes with Luxembourg and Marshall’s Northern Ireland.

But Nagelsmann has revealed he did try to call Fullkrug up for the squad only to be informed by West Ham the striker is injured yet again.

So Naglesmann says he called up Brentford’s Kevin Schade instead.

“During the week, we wanted to nominate Niclas Fullkrug,” Nagelsmann confirmed on ARD, as reported by Kicker.

Nagelsmann revealed the West Ham forward has “a torn muscle bundle in his thigh” and was therefore unable to be called up.

Nagelsmann confirmed the Hammers told him Fullkrug sustained the injury in training and will now ‘likely have to sit out for several weeks’.

Injury-prone Hammers star Fullkrug out for ‘several weeks’

“I need a header player (player who can lead the line and is good in the air) – that’s not possible, unfortunately, he’s injured.

“I can’t conjure up many things out of thin air; they’re just the way they are, they’re there. We have to make use of what we have and what’s available to us. So I have to react, and a player who’s been away for a year is coming in.”

Depending on the severity of Fullkrug’s thigh strain, the injury could keep him out for a number of weeks ranging to months.

The news will only serve to cement that West Ham simply must have a striker lined up ready to come in when January 1st rolls around.

The Hammers were always dicing with danger by failing to sign at least two new forwards and it hasn’t taken long to prove that fact.

Now Nuno is left relying on an even more injury-prone player in Wilson, who he clearly doesn’t fancy based on the first two matches, and a young striker who cannot be expected to come in and take the Premier League by storm.

Hammers News suggested West Ham should use Crysencio Summerville as a striker while Lucas Paqueta might be an option too with Tomas Soucek returning from suspension.

Captain Jarrod Bowen is obviously another alternative, although most feel he offers the team so much more in his preferred role off the right.