Angelo Ogbonna suffers anterior cruciate ligament injury

West Ham have confirmed that Angelo Ogbonna sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Sunday’s 3-2 win over Liverpool.

Ogbonna was withdrawn midway through the first half after taking a blow to the head that required stitches, but had also suffered a knock to his leg earlier in the game.

Though Ogbonna was substituted to allow the club's medical team to work on the cut above his eye, West Ham have revealed in a statement that the Italian realised he had an issue with his right knee - and a subsequent scan has revealed significant damage.

“After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury," West Ham's Head of Medical Richard Collinge said.

“That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery.” 

West Ham will be hoping that Ogbonna will not require surgery as injuries of this nature usually require a significant amount of rehabilitation time. If he does need to go under the knife, there's every chance that the 33-year-old will be sidelined for at least nine months.

It's a bitter blow for David Moyes' Hammers, who are riding high after a fabulous start to the season. They lay third in the Premier League table after Sunday's win over Liverpool earned a seventh win in the club's first 11 games, while there has also been slick progress in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.

West Ham top a European group that includes Dinamo Zagreb, Genk and Rapid Wien with ten points from a possible 12, and they have a cup quarter-final date booked with bitter rivals Tottenham.