West Ham United’s 1-1 draw with Watford at Vicarage Road was marred by a nasty looking injury sustained by Mauro Zarate.
Watford’s Mauro Zarate in action with West Ham United’s Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble
Despite never really setting the world alight during his time at West Ham, the skillful Argentine is fondly remembered by supporters for some important and spectacular goals.
Zarate’s lack of game time under Slaven Bilic led to an eventual parting of the ways as he moved to Italy with Fiorentina.
He is back in the Premier League with Watford and was in action against his old club on Saturday night.
Zarate actually won the penalty which gave the Hornets an early lead but was later stretchered off in the second half after receiving treatment on the pitch for several minutes.
Both sets of supporters chanted his name as he left the field and now Hammers skipper Mark Noble has sent a message to the stricken star as he waits to find out the full extent of the serious looking injury.
“Footballers know what it’s like to get an injury like that,” Noble said on the club’s official website.
Sympathetic: Hammers captain Noble
“Mauro is a really nice man and he started off really well on Saturday and was a real danger for them.
“Our wishes go out to him and hopefully he’s not too bad.”
Watford’s Zarate sustains the injury
The reaction of the fans and both sets of players to the injury after the game has been heartening in the increasingly fickle, tribal and cut throat world of Premier League football.
It looks like bad news for Zarate, though, after the 29-year-old confirmed on Instagram that scans showed he has ruptured a cruciate ligament and looks likely to miss the rest of the season, as reported by Sky Sports.
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