Nuno Espirito Santo handed major blow as ‘exceptional’ West Ham star ‘out for a while’
Nuno Espirito Santo’s tenure at West Ham has not started well, and the manager has now been handed another blow in his hopes of securing the clubs Premier League status.
West Ham’s 2-1 defeat at Leeds leaves the club in the relegation zone with only four points and without a home win this season.
Nuno’s appointment at West Ham has not turned around fortunes on the pitch following the disastrous reign of Graham Potter.
The Hammers welcome Newcastle to the London Stadium next, with the Toon winless on their travels in the Premier League this season.
Ollie Scarles facing lengthy injury layoff
Ollie Scarles had started the last two games under Nuno, but the 19-year-old was forced off due to injury against Leeds.
Speaking before the visit of Newcastle, Nuno gave an update on Scarles: “Oliver Scarles went into surgery yesterday and it went well but he is going to be out for a while.
| Minutes Played | 70 |
| Pass Accuracy % | 93.8% |
| Dispossessed | 0 |
| Duels Won % | 44.4% |
“He won’t totally stop because he will be doing some kind of conditioning.”
Scarles made his West Ham debut back in 2022 under David Moyes, who told the Daily Mail following his performance against FCSB: “‘I thought Ollie Scarles played exceptionally well.”
Nuno Espirito Santo handed two further injury blows
Nuno will also be without defender Konstantinos Mavropanos and Niclas Fullkrug against the Toon, but gave a more positive update on their return to action.
“He has started the fitness program. He has had his first session on the grass so expect a couple of weeks more before he is totally available,” Nuno said of Mavropanos.
“Niclas Fullkrug is still out. We still aren’t totally sure when [he will be back] but he has started already on the grass. He isn’t totally with the group so we expect it will be fast.“