West Ham United have said striker Niclas Fullkrug will be sidelined for “a number of weeks” with a hamstring injury.
The 31-year-old picked up the issue during West Ham’s FA Cup third-round defeat to Aston Villa on Friday evening.
The Germany international had been named as a starter for Graham Potter’s first game as head coach but had to be withdrawn 15 minutes in after collapsing to the ground clutching his left leg.
After a briefly receiving treatment, Fullkrug was helped from the pitch by members of the club’s medical staff and subsequently replaced by Danny Ings.
West Ham confirmed on Sunday that the striker has sustained a hamstring injury and “will be sidelined for a number of weeks” as a result.
Fullkrug has been limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions since joining West Ham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
He scored only his second Premier League goal in nine games during West Ham’s defeat to Manchester City last weekend, having previously missed 10 matches between September and November with an Achilles issue.
Last season he scored 13 goals in all competitions for Dortmund as they reached the final of the Champions League. He was later named in Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany squad for the European Championship, where he scored twice in five appearances.
His injury represents a significant setback to Potter, who has begun his West Ham reign without several key players in attacking positions.
Captain Jarrod Bowen remains out after fracturing his foot in December, while Michail Antonio — the club’s all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League — faces an extended period on the sidelines after breaking his leg in a car crash last month.
West Ham, 14th in the table, return to Premier League action at home to Fulham on Tuesday.
(Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
