Sometimes in football, timing is everything, and in the case of Niclas Füllkrug, his Achilles injury has come at a very unfortunate time.
Even though it’s still early in new West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui’s tenure, I get the impression that he is not entirely satisfied with the striker position or the role of Mohammed Kudus.
Regardless of Füllkrug’s injury, I believe the Hammers’ gaffer would have been considering Jarrod Bowen for the role up front anyway. The West Ham captain played in that position under new England manager Lee Carsley at the weekend and may be poised to do so against Finland this evening.
The injury news on Füllkrug is better than initially feared. A medical scan appears to have revealed tendinitis rather than torn ligaments, which should keep him out for around three weeks barring any complications.
However, that still means West Ham are unlikely to have the German international available until October, which means Lopetegui will have to find an alternative solution in attack.
It could well be that the Spaniard opts to continue with Michail Antonio up front or use Danny Ings. But I suspect he’ll find it difficult to resist the temptation of playing Bowen through the middle, and if it works, Füllkrug may struggle to get back into the team.
Typical.