West Ham United duo Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio suffered injuries whilst away on international duty over the weekend.
Jarrod Bowen was with the England squad when he picked up a knock in training whilst West Ham striker Michail Antonio was away with Jamaica, but the 33-year-old lasted just 21 minutes during a clash with Canada before hobbling off with a hamstring problem.
The injuries sustained by the Hammers duo sent some of our fans into meltdown, and David Moyes must be hugely concerned as well.
If Bowen and Antonio are out for a prolonged period of time, or even one or two games, will the Scot now have to play the hapless Danny Ings through the middle? Will he even consider talented teenager Divin Mubama?
Ings, 31, has been absolutely horrendous for the Hammers since moving to the London Stadium in January, so I really don’t fancy seeing him struggle through the middle.
Meanwhile, Mubama is a real talent but he’s hugely inexperienced at the very highest level, and he might not be ready to produce the goods on a consistent basis just yet.
I believe that Moyes has a another option up his sleeve though, one player destined for the exit door may now have one final chance to salvage his West Ham career…
Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio injuries a big chance for one Hammer
Maxwel Cornet joined West Ham from Burnley in the summer of 2022 for around £17.5 million (Sky Sports).
The 27-year-old has really struggled to establish himself at the London Stadium though, and the Hammers actually tried to sell him in the summer transfer window.
The future really does look bleak for the Ivory Coast international at the London Stadium, but could the Bowen and Antonio injuries give him one final chance to salvage his West Ham career?
I reckon Moyes could now use Cornet, either as a centre-forward or as a right winger, with Mohammed Kudus moving into the centre-forward role.
The Ivorian and the Ghanaian have both played as auxiliary strikers before, so it’s definitely an option for Moyes to consider – and a much better one than starting Ings through that middle, that’s for sure.
The former Burnley man may well have struggled during his time in East London, but one thing he does possess is blistering pace – something that we’ve desperately lacked up front over the past year or so.
A front three of Cornet, Paqueta and Kudus could do any side damage, and the 27-year-old might just be extra motivated to make an impression this weekend against his former club Burnley.
Obviously West Ham could have really done without the injuries to Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, but they might end up opening the door for Cornet – a player who had one foot outside the London Stadium.
Could the injuries be a blessing in disguise for us as a team and Cornet individually in the end? Maybe so.
