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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that he may be without midfielder Carlos Sanchez when Manchester United visit the London Stadium this weekend.

Sanchez, who joined West Ham from Fiorentina this summer, was forced off the field during the Hammers' 8-0 demolition of Macclesfield Town in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. He only managed nine minutes before the injury ended his game.

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Following the match, Pellegrini was asked if he had any updates on Sanchez's condition, and is quoted by football.london as saying: "We'll see tomorrow.

"He has some pain in his knee but the doctor tomorrow will see and examine what happened."

The 32-year-old has featured in five of West Ham's Premier League matches this season, but has primarily been used as a substitute. He started against both Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but came under fire for his role in Wolves' winning goal.

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Sanchez appeared to dwell in position off the ball and ended up losing possession, allowing Adama Traore to steal all three points for his side.

Since then, the Colombian has been replaced by 19-year-old Declan Rice, who was also Sanchez's replacement following his injury against Macclesfield. The youngster has slotted seamlessly into West Ham's midfield, and was always the favourite to start in the position this weekend.

However, Pellegrini will likely be without one of his preferred substitutes, having introduced Sanchez towards the end of their last two Premier League matches as West Ham sought to protect the scoreline.

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After a dismal start to the new season which saw the Hammers lose four consecutive matches, West Ham are finally enjoying a positive spell of results under Pellegrini. An impressive 3-1 victory against Everton was followed up with a goalless draw against Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea, putting an end to the Italian's perfect start to life in English football.

However, their improved form will face a serious test in the form of Jose Mourinho's Manchester United, who will be keen to bounce back after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat to Derby County during the week.