West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho is expected to stay on the sidelines until the end of the season with a back injury.

The Senegal attacker has had a injury-ravaged campaign, making just two Premier League appearances in total.

He had a three-month spell on the treatment table but it was not long before he was struck down again, this time with a back problem in November.

Sakho required surgery to solve the issue and even though he has stepped up his recovery, West Ham’s head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke has suggested that the forward will not return to the pitch before the end of the campaign.

The 27-year-old has been taking part in “controlled sessions” with the Under-23s squad in order to build up his fitness, but the club are mindful of pushing him too quickly.

Via the club’s official website, Vandenbrouckle said:

“When players return from their off-season, they will go through four to five weeks of pre-season work to build up their strength and fitness and, after undergoing back surgery and three months of rehab, a player needs time to reach sufficient fitness levels before we can contemplate making him available for selection in the Premier League.”

The Hammers are in somewhat of an injury crisis, with Michail Antonio, Winston Reid and Pedro Obiang all currently on the sidelines.

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