West Ham Midfielder Carlos Sanchez to Undergo Knee Surgery After Suffering Ligament Damage

West Ham midfielder Carlos Sanchez faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines and knee surgery after it emerged the Colombian international sustained ligament damage during the Carabao Cup clash against Macclesfield.

The £5m signing from Fiorentina, who has featured in just six games for the Hammers, was thought to have sustained a more serious injury which would have kept the 32-year-old out for much longer, but it is hoped Sanchez will be back much sooner than anticipated. 

Sanchez was hurt after just ten minutes during the 8-0 thrashing of Macclesfield in the Carabao Cup last week, where the Hammers gave debuts to three academy graduates, including Grady Diangana, who scored twice.

At the time, West Ham feared the worst for the midfielder and the incident even prompted striker Marko Arnautovic to pay tribute to Sanchez by displaying a Hammers jersey bearing his name and number in celebration of his goal in the 3-1 win over Manchester United last weekend.

Sanchez may be familiar to some England fans as he featured for Colombia in this year's World Cup in Russia. The 32-year-old was booked for a foul after he hauled down Harry Kane for the second-half penalty, which the England striker coolly converted to give the Three Lions a 1-0 lead.