Football.London understands that Albian Ajeti has been ruled out of the West Ham squad for the game against Sheffield United through illness.
Much like Felipe Anderson was sick for the win at Southampton at the back end of last year, Ajeti simply hasn't been risked to travel with the squad having not trained either on Thursday.
The Swiss frontman has struggled for both minutes and form since his £8m move from Basel in the summer having failed to find the net and having made only two starts, both of them in the Carabao Cup.
West Ham are thought to be in the market for a new striker in January as David Moyes looks about bolstering his squad and has been linked with a swoop for Inter Milan striker Gabriel Barbosa and AC Milan frontman Krzysztof Piatek, who is also of interest to Spurs.
Moyes has made three changes from the side that beat Gillingham in the FA Cup on Sunday to take on the Blades in Yorkshire. Pablo Zabaleta, Aaron Cresswell and Mark Noble all start having missed out against the Gills. Out go Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop and Robert Snodgrass.
The manager has also stuck with his 5-3-2 with Cresswell playing on the left side of the back three and Masuaku as a left wing back, a position he excelled in under Moyes previously.
Also in the matchday squad are Hunder-23 stars Goncalo Cardoso and Jeremy Ngakia. For the latter, it is his first call up to the first team while for Cardoso, a summer recruit from Boavista, it is his second.
West Ham: Fabianski; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku; Rice, Noble, Anderson, Lanzini; Haller.
