West Ham's Cresswell out up to 4 months with knee ligament injury
West Ham will be without Aaron Cresswell for up to four months after scans on the defender's knee revealed ligament damage, the team confirmed Monday.
Cresswell sustained the knock during West Ham's pre-season victory Karlsruher SC in Austria on Saturday.
The team has yet to decide whether he requires surgery.
West Ham's head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke said Cresswell has undergone a scan and will meet with a specialist in London next week to determine how to treat the injury.
"Whatever course of action we decide to take, Aaron faces a period of rest, followed by treatment and rehabilitation and he will be out for a period of between three and four months," Vandenbroucke told the team's website.
Creswell's stint on the sidelines could force West Ham to scour the transfer market for a replacement at left-back, seeing as the team does not have an experienced replacement for the 26-year-old.
6735 - Aaron Cresswell has played more minutes than any other PL player over the last two seasons (6735). Loss. pic.twitter.com/YQRmIXG5zw
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 25, 2016
His loss could also pave the way for youngsters such as Lewis Page and Reece Burke if manager Slaven Bilic is confident in either player's ability to fill the void.
Cresswell, who recently signed a new contract until 2020, was a critical component to West Ham's success last season after starting 37 matches and helping the club earn a spot in the Europa League.