West Ham United will be without Gianluca Scamacca due to injury at Derby County in the FA Cup. He joins Danny Ings out to leave Michail Antonio as David Moyes’ only fit striker.
That is according to The Guardian, which reports the Pride Park tie will come too soon for Scamacca to return. He had to sit out the Irons’ 2-0 win at home to Everton in the Premier League on Saturday due to a minor knee issue. He hopes to return on February 11 instead.
The Irons are managing the forward’s injury, so will also overlook risking him aggravating it at Newcastle United on February 4. Scamacca is instead targeting his return for the visit of Chelsea to the London Stadium. West Ham then travel to Tottenham Hotspur on the 19th.
Scamacca facing three weeks on the sidelines will push Antonio back into absolute favour following Ings’ arrival from Aston Villa. Moyes completed a £12m, rising to £15m, deal for the striker on Friday. But Ings would suffer a minor knee injury of his own against Everton.
Moyes introduced Ings for his Hammers debut as a 72nd-minute substitute for Antonino at the weekend. But he picked up a knock from a challenge in the closing stages that will now rule the 30-year-old out for several weeks. He was ineligible to play in the FA Cup, anyway.
West Ham will be without Ings and Scamacca due to injury for several weeks
West Ham expect Ings to be on the cusp of a return from his injury for their trip from east to north London to face Tottenham. But the Spurs encounter is likely verging on the early side. So, the Irons are looking more toward their match with Nottingham Forest on February 25.
While Scamacca’s injury will leave Antonio as Moyes’ only fit striker in the FA Cup away to Derby on Monday. The Hammers travel to Pride Park in the fourth round after a 1-0 win at Brentford earlier this month. Said Benrahma scored the only goal against his former team.
Antonio started beside Jarrod Bowen against the Bees but failed to score and end his goal drought. The 32-year-old has not hit the back of the net in any competition since scoring at home to Blackburn Rovers in their Carabao Cup exit on November 9, six appearances ago.
He is also without a Premier League goal in 10 appearances dating back to October 9. So, Moyes will hope Ings and Scamacca – who joined West Ham last July for £30.5m, rising to £35.5m – can return from injury and get amongst the goals soon to help avoid relegation.
Moyes moved for Ings to help solve the Scot’s search for a goalscorer
Moyes moved for Ings – who has scored six Premier League goals this term – as Scamacca has only hit three in 16 games and Antonio has two in 19. Even though Declan Rice was full of confidence in what Scamacca would offer in claret-and-blue after joining from Sassuolo.
“I can tell you now he’s going to be unbelievable,” Rice told talkSPORT in October. “He’s going to be really, really special… [Antonio’s] been made into a striker whereas Gianluca is the first out-and-out striker I’ve played with at club level and he’s just on another level.
“He’s going to be so good for this club. He’s so exciting, the way he plays. We just need to keep playing to his strengths but he’s one we can be excited about for sure. For me, when I look at him I think, ‘wow’. He’s a player that’s got something.”
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