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Thu 23 March 2017 15:09, UK

By Will Butcher

West Ham fans are gutted on Twitter after it was revealed that striker Diafra Sakho could miss the rest of the season following a back problem.

Sakho, 27, has featured just twice in claret and blue this season, scoring in the 1-1 league draw against Manchester United back in November.

West Ham’s head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke claimed on the Hammers’ official website that Sakho is now entering his own pre-season ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

“He returned to training with the Under-23s this week in controlled sessions, meaning that we tailor the sessions to manage his workload, gradually building him up,” Vandenbroucke said.

“However, we must be mindful that Diaf is essentially at the start of his own personal pre-season training schedule.”

Sakho underwent back surgery earlier in the year to correct the problem that has dogged him throughout the season, and remains in the rehab phase of his recovery.

News that the striker is all but out for the season comes after it emerged that West Ham had suffered a triple injury blow involving defender Winston Reid, midfielder Pedro Obiang and attacker Michail Antonio.

West Ham fans have reacted on Twitter in frustration after hearing the latest update on the Senegalese forward, leaving just Andy Carroll and Andre Ayew to remain up front.

Here is a selection of their messages on Twitter:

Since his move to east London in the summer of 2014, Sakho has made 52 appearances for the Hammers after moving from French side Boulogne for around £3.5million.

Slaven Bilic’s number 15 has scored 20 times in his short career with the Hammers but could now miss the remaining nine Premier League matches this season.

In other West Ham news, co-owner David Gold has responded on Twitter when asked if there were any plans to sell the club.

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