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Former England national team defender and current London club player Matthew Upson will not be able to play for three weeks due to an ankle injury suffered in his debut match against Aston Villa.
The 27-year-old center-back, who left Birmingham for West Ham for £6 million before the winter transfer market closed, sustained an ankle injury after playing just 30 minutes in his first match with the new team last Saturday and had to leave the field.
Tests showed a minor tear, and the club physiotherapist Steve Allen hopes that Upson will quickly recover and join the team for the next matches.
"He responded well to initial treatment, and the ankle injury looks much better," Allen said on the club's official website. "An x-ray on Sunday revealed a minor tear in the ankle muscle, which should take about three weeks to heal. However, we hope he will return sooner."
This means that Upson will definitely miss West Ham's 27th-round match against Watford, but he may return for the February 26th match against Charlton.
"I was extremely disappointed when I was sitting on the ground during the match against Aston Villa on Saturday," said the former Arsenal defender. "I am desperate to play and really want this club to stay in the Premier League. That's why I was drawn to this team and feel a commitment and desire to do it."
For Alan Curbishley's West Ham, this is another painful loss, as another defender, Lucas Neill, acquired from Blackburn, should at best appear in this Saturday's match against Watford due to an ankle injury, and striker Dean Ashton, who has missed half the season due to a similar injury, will have to rest for another five weeks.
Currently, West Ham is battling for survival in the Premier League, occupying the 18th position with just 20 points.
