West Ham United dealt new 22m relegation blow as questions asked of staff: report

"West Ham will be without a key 25 million (21.8m) man ahead of their match against Bournemouth on Saturday. The Hammers sit 18th and welcome the in-form Cherries to the London Stadium but hope to close the gap to Nottingham Forest above them. West Ham have three wins from their last five Premier League matches, while Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last five and have rocketed to ninth."

"Many fans were critical of the large fee for a player from the Portuguese league, but the Brazilian had scored ten goals in 13 league games for Gil Vicente in the first half of the season. He made his debut for West Ham in a devastating 2-1 home loss to Nottingham Forest, but started four games in a row after that, playing behind fellow new boy Taty Castellanos."

"While yet to find the back of the net, the 22-year-old had worked his way into the team and looked set to supercharge the Hammers' attack towards the back end of the season. Instead, he will miss around six weeks with a calf strain, apparently exacerbating a pre-existing injury when they faced Burnley on 7 February, leaving questions to be asked of the club's medical staff. The injury rules him out of crucial Premier League fixtures and an FA Cup round of 16 tie against Brentford."

West Ham face Bournemouth while sitting 18th in the Premier League and attempting to close the gap to Nottingham Forest. The squad is missing Freddie Potts and Jean-Clair Todibo through suspension and goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski remains sidelined with a back injury. January signing Pablo Felipe, who scored ten goals in 13 league games for Gil Vicente, started several matches but is now ruled out for around six weeks with a calf strain reportedly worsened on 7 February. The injury excludes him from key Premier League fixtures and an FA Cup round of 16 tie against Brentford, raising concerns about medical management. Managerial adjustments have included using Callum Wilson in a withdrawn role and pushing Tomas Soucek higher in other matches.

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