WEST HAM have been rocked by the news Kurt Zouma faces months on the sidelines after damaging his hamstring tendon in the win over Chelsea.
Zouma limped out of the 3-2 win over their London rivals on Saturday.
And scans have confirmed serious damage to the muscle which is expected to keep him out of action until March.
It is a major blow to boss David Moyes who has already seen his other first choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
And there is more bad news after fellow defender Ben Johnson was also revealed to have suffered a low-grade hamstring strain, forcing him to be sidelined for around a month.
Zouma has been a mainstay at the back for the Hammers since his £29.8million move to the club from Chelsea in August.
Moyes had only been hailing the impact the France international has made at the London Stadium in the build up to last week’s victory, which saw West Ham consolidate fourth in the Premier League.
But the hopes of securing a top four finish this season are now seriously under threat, with Craid Dawson and Issa Diop the only senior centre-backs left fit at the club.
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And bringing in a new top class centre back has become a certainty once the transfer window opens in January.
The Hammers now face six Premier League matches to negotiate with the pair before they are able to even bring someone new into their squad when the window opens.
And they also face a Europa League clash with Dinamo Zagreb and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham in a hectic period for the club.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk