Sunday 21 August 2016 16:41, UK
Andy Carroll will be out for ‘a few weeks', West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has told Sky Sports.
Carroll was a notable absentee from the squad for the Super Sunday clash with Bournemouth as West Ham played their first Premier League game at their new London Stadium home.
The 27-year-old suffered a knee injury during the Europa League play-off against Astra Giurgiu on Thursday and joins a growing West Ham injury list, which includes Aaron Cresswell, Manuel Lanzini and club-record signing Andre Ayew.
"The situation is we are without a few players, some of them are going to be out long-term and some of them will be back for the next game," Bilic told Sky Sports touchline reporter Geoff Shreeves, ahead of the clash with Bournemouth.
"It's not ideal, but it's a situation we have to cope with. We don't want to moan, we have a good team."
Asked specifically about the length of time Carroll would be unavailable for, Bilic said: "Not long. It depends what you mean by long-term [injury], but it's a few weeks."
Carroll's West Ham career has been blighted by injury since joining the club from Liverpool four years ago.
During his initial year-long loan spell, the striker missed 11 matches due to a knee complaint and was also unavailable at the beginning of last season following a 24-match absence with another knee injury.
Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, former West Ham midfielder Jack Collison added: "It's a massive blow, for Andy Carroll. He's had a really good pre-season, scored some goals and has looked very strong."
