West Ham coy on Jarrod Bowen recovery after foot fracture in Liverpool loss | OneFootball

West Ham coach Julen Lopetegui has refused to put a timeline on Jarrod Bowen’s recovery from injury, after the club captain suffered a foot fracture on Sunday.

Bowen sustained the injury in the first half of West Ham’s 5-0 loss at home to Liverpool, but he managed to keep playing until the 60th minute – when he was ultimately substituted.

The forward’s injury is a significant concern for West Ham, who have failed to impress since Lopetegui’s arrival last summer, with the club sitting 13th in the Premier League at the midway point of the season.

Eight points separate the Hammers from the relegation zone, with Bowen’s injury proving as untimely as goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski’s recent concussion, as well as Michail Antonio’s broken leg in a serious car crash in December.

“Let’s see, but it’s not gonna be a few days for sure,” Lopetegui said of Bowen’s recovery, at a press conference on Thursday (2 January). “Unfortunately for us, yes, he has an injury. He was able to play 15 minutes with this injury, and now he has to rest and he has to recover.

“It’s not good news for us, but it’s the moment for other players. We are sure that Jarrod is going to make the time that he has to recover [as short as possible], because of his character, but it’s true that he’s going to be out of the next matches.

“I prefer not to say a number, because we have to see how he’s going to develop in the next weeks. Jarrod is one of our main players for sure, and our captain, too, but now we have to be able to find solutions. And it’s the moment for other players to show that they are ready to help us. I’m sure the answer is gonna be good.

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Jarrod Bowen’s foot fracture follows Michail Antonio’s broken leg from a car crash in December (AP)

“So, we’re looking for Jarrod to recover as soon as possible, but at the same time, believing in the players that are in the squad – that they are going to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Bowen’s injury raises the question of who will step up as captain, though Lopetegui admitted that was of little concern in the grand scheme of things.

“Let’s see, but we have a leadership group – [Aaron] Cresswell, Tomas Soucek. For sure we’re going to have a good captain, not only on the pitch but in the dressing room, too. This is the thing we are not worried about; we’re worried about having Jarrod out the least time possible, and after [that] to be able to make a good decision on the other players that are going to [replace] him.”

With the date of Bowen’s return proving uncertain, and with Antonio potentially out for the rest of the season, Lopetegui was asked about West Ham’s intentions in the January transfer window.

But the Spaniard, 58, was coy, saying: “It’s true that we have these two important losses, but the club knows our needs and are working on that. At the moment, the club is going to work on this, and we have to be focused on preparing for the next match.

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Antonio will be ‘out for a long time’, Lopetegui added on Thursday (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

“We have to focus on this match, despite for sure [the fact] that the club is going to be working [on transfers]. I’m not going to talk more about the market here; I talk about the market with my club. I don’t have anything more to add.”

Earlier on Thursday, Antonio sent a message to West Ham fans after being discharged from hospital on 31 January. “Happy New Year – and I’ll be back on that pitch soon,” Antonio wrote, in a message posted by the club on its official website.

“Every year around this time, I’m asked what I’m grateful for, and every year I’ve struggled to find the right words. But this year, I know exactly what I’m grateful for: being alive.”

At Thursday’s press conference, Lopetegui said of the forward: “Michail is going to be out for a long time for sure, it’s that kind of injury. But it’s good news that he’s at home, he’s enjoying his family, and for sure he’s going to try to recover as soon as possible. But we are not going to have Antonio for a long time.”