Winston Reid and Andriy Yarmolenko are unlikely to play this season to protect their recovery from long-term injuries, manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed.
Reid has not played a competitive game for the Hammers in more than a year after picking up freak knee injury in the Hammers' Premier League fixture at Swansea City when he was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground awkwardly. He returned for pre-season training but aggravated the problem in Austria and has been out ever since.
Yarmolenko meanwhile had to be patient at the start of his West Ham career but burst onto the scene with a double in a win over Everton and a goal against Man Utd back in September 2018.
The £17.5m summer signing from Borussia Dortmund tore his achilles tendon in defeat to Tottenham last October at the London Stadium and hasn't been seen on the pitch since then.
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The manager has maintained in previous months that the duo could potentially see some game time this season towards its conclusion but earlier this week, nigh-on definitively ruled them both out until the 2019/20 pre-season campaign. There was good news on another long-term victim though in Carlos Sanchez, who tore his ACL against Macclesfield last September.
Pellegrini said: "Winston, no. I think he will not be ready this season.
"Carlos Sanchez is a step forward, I think he will work with the squad next week. I think he can be involved in some games before we finish.
"Yarmolenko is working very well, he has no pain, he is running, kicking the ball, but maybe it will be too soon for him to play before we finish.
"Achilles tendon is one of the worst injuries you can have because you cannot go faster, you must exercise the ligament and then wait for month.
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"To play this season I don’t think would be good for him, it is better to do a very good pre-season. If you return after a long injury you get muscle injuries.
"He must be calm and wait for next season working hard, and we will see the player that we brought because he is a very good player."
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