Injury boost for Liverpool as West Ham star leaves Molineux on crutches

Liverpool face West Ham United on Monday at the London Stadium, but the hosts could be without Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian picked up an injury in the loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers and had to be helped off the pitch by the backroom staff.

The BBC reports that the player was seen in crutches while leaving Molineux, and manager Manuel Pellegrini wasn’t sure about the extent of Arnautovic’s absence (h/t BBC):

“It will not be an easy injury.

“I hope he hasn’t any problems but we must review him with an examination. It was a hard kick in his foot and I’m disappointed about that because we have just 15 fit players.”

The Chilean added that the team don’t have many creative midfielders, and this would be great news for Liverpool who visit the London Stadium.

The Reds defeated West Ham earlier in the season, however, not facing Arnautovic is a huge boost. The Austrian was linked with a move away in the winter window but ended up signing a contract extension with the Hammers (h/t BBC

Arnautovic had scored 7 goals and provided two assists for the Hammers in 17 Premier League games this season. His absence will certainly reduce West Ham’s attacking threat on Monday.

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The Reds should be favourites for the three points against the Hammers, however, taking any Premier League side lightly can lead to an unexpected loss.