Lukasz Fabianski Says He Is at 'Big Risk' of Repeat Injury If He Is Rushed Back to Fitness
West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has revealed that he is at a "big risk" of repeating the hip injury he sustained against Bournemouth on the 28 September if he is rushed back from rehabilitation.
The Polish shot stopper has been imperative for the Hammers ever since his transfer from Swansea City back in 2018 and has been a mainstay in the Premier League over the last five seasons. As a matter of fact, the 34-year-old has played in 187 of 190 league matches since the start of the 2014/15 season.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper suffered a serious hip injury in a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth back in September and has subsequently been limited to only seven league appearances so far this season.
Fabianski reiterated that his ongoing treatment is successful, telling whufc.com: "I’m feeling like the rehab is going in the right direction, in the right way."
With a return date pencilled in for January, the Poland international is keen to bide his time and ensure he doesn't rush back from rehabilitation, especially given his age. "The biggest mistake in my case would be to try to rush thing because there would be a big chance of it happening again so, with injuries like that, you have to be really careful about it.
“I don’t want to rush, I just want to take my time and make sure I come back in the right way, not only physically but from the goalkeeping point of view, which is important", Fabianski added.
The Hammers drop in form coincides with the absence of their first-choice goalkeeper, dropping 13 places from third to 16th in the Premier League table.
Roberto Jiménez has replaced Fabianski for the time being but has been unconvincing thus far, failing to keep a single clean sheet. The Spaniard has also contributed an own goal and two errors directly leading to goals in his opening six games.
Since the start of the 2018/19 season, Fabianski has kept ten clean sheets (including three in seven appearances this season) and has only a single error leading to opposition goals in that time, highlighting his importance to the team.
Following a return to Premier League action, West Ham host José Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur side at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon before travelling to Stamford Bridge to take on Frank Lampard's Chelsea side seven days later.