West Ham Striker Marko Arnautović Faces Fresh Injury Woe After Leaving Wolves Game on Crutches

West Ham striker Marko Arnautović looks set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines after leaving Molineux on crutches with a foot injury following Tuesday evening's 3-0 loss to Wolves.

The Austrian ace recently ended weeks of speculation by committing his future to the east London side, but saw his first appearance in two weeks cut short after landing awkwardly on his right leg during an aerial challenge. 

The news will come as a real blow to Hammers fans, as their side continue to struggle with a rapidly escalating injury crisis.

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According to BBC Sport, Arnautović left Molineux on crutches, which doesn't bode well for a swift return to first team action, and Sky Sports believe he will have a scan on Wednesday.

Discussing his player's injury, manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "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. We don't have any creative midfielders in this moment so it's difficult playing so many games with the same players."

The capricious forward will now join a presumably heaving treatment room with the likes of Fabián Balbuena, Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini, Andriy Yarmolenko, Carlos Sánchez and Winston Reid all suffering from injuries. 

With a tough run of fixtures ahead of them, the Hammers will need to dig deep to have any chance of securing Europa League qualification this season.

The club could be forced into signing some stopgap replacements before Thursday's transfer deadline, but it is unclear who their targets may be. Having already spent a hefty £94m on new players this season, more permanent signings are unlikely, which should mean that any new faces at the London Stadium will be last minute loanees.

Meanwhile, West Ham forward Javier Hernández is reportedly believed to be keen on a move to La Liga side Valencia before the transfer window closes. 

The Mexican has had little in the way of first team action this season and is thought to be keen to leave this month. However, Arnautović's new injury could well see him remain with the club until next summer.