West Ham’s Injury Luck Runs Out As Nuno Faces Promotion Test

West Ham have lived something of a charmed life on the injury front over the last year or so. I have little doubt that much of the credit for that has to go to the club’s medical and fitness team because that excellent injury record can’t just be luck. However, with Konstantinos Mavropanos now facing a spell on the sidelines and concerns over Mohamadou Kanté, Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad depth is about to be tested.

Almost every time we seem to play an opposition team, they appear to be missing some of their top players. Last weekend, Southampton lined up at the London Stadium without their main striker Cyle Larin and former Hammers midfielder Flynn Downes. Millwall were missing nearly half a team when we played them, while QPR were also without some key players.

West Ham can certainly consider themselves fortunate that captain Jarrod Bowen has not been out for any sustained period of time for quite a while. But it was always going to be the case that players would get injured, and now we have exactly that scenario ourselves. It’s far from ideal, but nothing our promotion rivals don’t deal with on a regular basis.

West Ham’s Injury Luck Finally Runs Out

This is precisely why you have squads. Of course, Mavropanos’s knee injury has the potential to be far more troublesome than Kanté’s possible fitness issue, and it will be more difficult to cover.

According to ExWHUEmployee’s latest report, the Greek defender has undergone a scan, with concerns that he could miss several weeks. The precise length of his absence remains unclear, but losing one of our most influential players would undoubtedly be a blow.

However, as I argued in my previous piece about Airidas Golambeckis, this is a great opportunity for the youngster to step up, and I feel he will do very well at this level.

It’s a significant responsibility, but I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from him so far. There is no reason why Nuno shouldn’t give him the opportunity to demonstrate that he belongs in the first team.

Nuno’s Squad Depth Faces A Promotion Test

Kanté, despite his growing influence, should be a little easier to cover given the number of midfielders at Nuno Espírito Santo’s disposal. The extent of any problem remains uncertain, but West Ham have considerably more options in the middle of the park than they do at centre-back.

As our recent analysis of West Ham’s defensive options highlighted, Mavropanos’s injury also exposes just how limited the alternatives have become following the club’s summer transfer business.

But this is what promotion campaigns are all about. Every team suffers injuries, and the strongest squads find ways to cope without allowing those setbacks to derail their season.

I suspect how West Ham handle this little mini injury crisis will go a long way towards determining whether we’re an automatic promotion or a play-off team this season.