West Ham United have been dealt another injury blow, as it has been confirmed that striker Diafra Sakho will be out for up to six weeks with a thigh injury.

Another big blow

Sakho made his return to the side in the 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotpsur, which was his first start of the campaign. He made his impact known on Sunday, scoring the opener after two minutes in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United, the first goal scored by a recognised striker for the Hammers this season.

The 26-year-old was withdrawn after 66 minutes in the game at Old Trafford however, and it has been revealed in a scan that a thigh injury will expect to see him out of the next eight games. Ahead of their return to Old Trafford on Wednesday, manager Slaven Bilic shared his disappointment at the Senegalese's latest setback.

“It is very frustrating," Bilic told his the media pre-match press conference. "Especially for the player who was working so hard to come back and made an impact straight away."

“To be sidelined again is awful for him," he stated. "But I am sure this injury will not be like the one that forced him to miss the start of the season.”

Dont expect miracles

The Hammers have really struggled going forward this season, with 14 goals in their opening 13 league matches. This has been mainly down to the lack of form of the likes of Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri, and the injuries to the likes of Sakho and Andy Carroll.

The English striker hasn't played since August, but is expected to return for Saturday's clash with Arsenal. However Bilic has warned that Hammers fans shouldn't expect much from the 27-year-old initially.

"I know this game on Saturday could be a little bit easier if it was on Sunday,” Bilic said. “It’s a little bit tight between the games but I don’t approach it that way."

"We decide on Andy based on can he bring us something," he stated. "The Arsenal game is more important but this one is also important for us they are both important."

“It should be crucial," the Croatian admitted. "You can’t keep the players in the fridge and then throw them in and expect them to score again or score a hat-trick like he did at Upton Park."

"For Andy and every player in that condition it would be great to take part," Bilic concluded. "But if you are talking about 90 minutes against United and 90 minutes on Saturday, it is suicidal.”

West Ham United will take on Manchester United in the EFL Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday, November 30 with kick-off at 8pm GMT.

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Danial  Kennedy
Award-winning sports journalism graduate. Currently studying a PR Masters at the University of Sunderland. Writing for VAVEL since August 2014. Twitter - @ddkjournalism.