Ghana international André Ayew has not begun his new adventure with West Ham United on the best footing, as he was forced to leave the pitch injured during his first competitive game with the Hammers against Chelsea on Monday night.
The winger, who scored 12 goals for Swansea City in his first English Premier League season in 2015-16, completed his move to the Hammers from the Welsh side earlier in the month for a club record transfer fee of £20.5 million.
The 26-year-old limped off the pitch with a thigh issue half an hour into West Ham’s 2-1 loss to the Blues.
British media reports suggest that Ayew will likely be out for around four months, as his thigh injury requires surgery and the rehab will keep him away from first team action until the end of the year.
Stijn Vandenbroucke, the club’s head of medical and sports science confirmed that the injury will need a fair amount of time to remedy.
‘André Ayew injured his right thigh at Chelsea on Monday and underwent a scan on Wednesday afternoon,’ he said.
‘He has suffered a significant injury and it is imperative that we do not rush to conclusions and we receive the correct diagnosis by consulting top specialists. At this time, it is too early to put a time frame on his potential return date but André is facing a significant rehabilitation period,’ he added.