West Ham's promising start to the Premier League season was dealt a blow on Monday as chairman David Gold provided an update on the groin injury that Cheikhou Kouyate suffered in his side's 3-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday.
Bad news. C.Kouyate will be out for 6 weeks.
He will probably miss 5 games and might be available for Aston Villa at home 8 nov. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) September 22, 2014
Kouyate, who joined West Ham on a four-year deal from Anderlecht during the summer, has flourished in the Hammers' first four fixtures this season, providing the club with a defensive presence ahead of their backline.
Replacing Kouyate in West Ham's starting XI will be tough, but as Gold points out, the club have significantly more depth than they've had in past seasons:
In the past losing a player like C.Kouyate would be devastating but now we have quality back up. Cheikhoe get well soon. dg
— David Gold (@davidgold) September 22, 2014