West Ham fear that winger Michail Antonio could be sidelined for between three and four months with a hamstring injury, according to the Guardian journalist Jacob Steinberg.

The 29-year-old pulled up within the first eight minutes of the match against Newport, with Felipe Anderson coming on to replace him, and it appears that he may need an operation to fix the issue:

West Ham fear Michail Antonio needs an operation after suffering a hamstring injury against Newport County last night and could be out for three to four months #whufc

— Jacob Steinberg (@JacobSteinberg) 28 August 2019

Antonio had a massive impact after coming on in the 3-1 win against Watford on Saturday, and his absence from the squad will be a blow to manager Manuel Pellegrini. After the game last night, the Chilean said they had no idea how long he would be out for until he was assessed by the medical staff:

“We will see tomorrow [Wednesday] but he has a hamstring injury. We will see how big it is but after the medical examination, of course, we will know more.”

If the Hammers’ fears about the injury turn out to be true, it’s unlikely that he’ll be back playing regularly before Christmas. With Pablo Fornals, Andriy Yarmolenko and Robert Snodgrass all able to provide cover on the right flank, the London club do have a number of options to replace him, but the injury is nonetheless a serious setback.