West Ham suffer international break injury blow with 18 year-old in line for call-up

West Ham United have bounced back brilliantly from a rocky start to their Championship season.

West Ham looking like favourites after slow start

REUTERS/Action Images/Craig Brough

Relegation from the Premier League brought huge expectations. Plenty of fans and pundits tipped the Hammers as favourites to win the title and bounce straight back to the top flight, and they’ve found their feet impressively after a slow start.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are unbeaten in their last six league games and were forced to show their resilience in the draw at Millwall, fighting back from 2-0 down to earn a point. Nuno was pleased with the response but made it clear there was still plenty to work on.

“The way we reacted though was positive, and we have to say a big thank you to the fans,” he said. “We wanted to give the fans a moment of happiness, and in the end we managed to get the point.

“We had a reaction from the boys, but at the same time there are things we have to look at.

“In my mind, I think about the things we didn’t do. Especially for the fans, because their enthusiasm and support truly helped us improve in the second half. They helped the boys bounce back.”

Perhaps unlike most football fans, Nuno also welcomed the three-week international break after a draining run of fixtures.

“The way the season started was challenging for us, but the way the boys have reacted, committed and pushed themselves throughout a tough, tough schedule has been very good,” he said. “We’ve had two or three days between games, and we’ve seen players going to their limits.

“We know it’s going to be like that all season, but now we have a couple of days to rest and clean our minds, and then we’ll go again. What we want is to go even stronger, so let’s try it!”

West Ham suffer international break injury blow

REUTERS/John Sibley

Of course, all any manager wants from an international break is to get his players back fit. Unfortunately for the Hammers boss, that dream may already be out of sight.

As reported by Claret & Hugh, goalkeeper Finlay Herrick has withdrawn from the England Under-20 squad through injury. The FA has confirmed he’ll miss the upcoming fixtures, and Arsenal’s Khari Ranson has been called up in his place. The club has yet to reveal how serious the problem is.

That leaves West Ham dangerously short between the posts. Alphonse Areola has been struggling with a calf injury, and 20-year-old Herrick had stepped up as the direct backup to Mads Hermansen.

With Hermansen set to start when West Ham return to action against QPR after the break, academy goalkeeper Finley Hooper looks likely to be named on the bench. Hooper is currently away on international duty himself with England Under-19s, but he could now be one step away from a very first sighting in the Hammers’ first team when he returns.

Nuno will be desperate to avoid any more bad news before QPR, with a number of his squad still away on international duty.

Hermansen is the one to watch. With three caps to his name, he’ll be hoping to add to that tally against Norway, Portugal and Craig Bellamy’s Wales. If anything happens to the Dane, West Ham could be left without a fit senior goalkeeper for the clash with QPR.