Moyes: "Felipe's got a problem with his back ... looks as if it's going to keep him out for a while ... Probably four weeks we think."
Tuesday 21 January 2020 15:44, UK
West Ham's Felipe Anderson will be out for four weeks after falling awkwardly in a challenge against Sheffield United, David Moyes said on Tuesday.
The midfielder was fouled from behind by Muhamed Besic, who was shown a yellow card, with the Brazilian continuing to play in discomfort.
But now Moyes has confirmed that Anderson, who has the most assists for West Ham this season, will be out for close to a month.
"Felipe's got a problem with his back," said Moyes. "The landing which he had in the game looks as if it's going to keep him out for a while."
Asked to elaborate, Moyes said: "Probably four weeks we think."
Andriy Yarmolenko has also been ruled out until February, but the Hammers could be boosted by the return of Michail Antonio, who has been missing since December with a hamstring issue.
"Micky Antonio is getting closer to fitness, he's been training with us now so he's getting a little bit closer. (Andriy) Yarmolenko we still think is probably the best part of three weeks away at the moment.
"We could do with getting some back because of the busy programme, but sometimes game after game for the players isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it also focuses them and hopefully keep our form going at the moment."
West Ham will head to the King Power Stadium looking over their shoulder after taking just one victory from their previous five Premier League outings.
The Hammers sit just one point above the drop zone as they fight to secure their top-flight status following Manuel Pellegrini's dismissal.
Moyes has taken four points from his opening three matches since he returned to the struggling east London club.
"We're trying hard to do so," said the West Ham boss, when asked if his team is taking a step in the right direction. "We're trying to get some wins, and not just on the pitch.
"We've defended better in recent weeks. We've started very well. We want to keep scoring goals and we also need to make sure we're not giving the team opportunities to score.
"I've really enjoyed my period coming back. It's been busy. It's still busy but the biggest thing is that the players have been brilliant.
"They've given me 100 per cent in every game. I can only praise them for it. They've knuckled down and they've done a great job."
