West Ham United winger Keiber Lamadrid could miss the start of the club's Championship campaign after picking up a knee injury during pre-season, according to reports.
The 22-year-old Venezuelan international was hurt during a 1-1 friendly draw with Bundesliga 2 side FC Magdeburg last weekend, played at the Avnet Arena in Germany. Lamadrid was withdrawn in the 72nd minute as a precaution, and the club now expects him to be out of action for somewhere between two and three weeks.
That timeline puts his availability for West Ham's opening Championship fixture at Burnley on August 16 firmly in doubt. The injury also rules him out of this weekend's Carabao Cup first-round tie against Portsmouth at the London Stadium.
Lamadrid's setback comes at an awkward time, having only recently become a full member of Nuno Espirito Santo's first-team squad after spending much of last season with West Ham's Under-21s. The winger made just one senior appearance for the Hammers as the club endured a difficult campaign that ended in relegation from the Premier League.
Despite that limited first-team involvement, West Ham moved to secure his long-term future in June by triggering a £1million option to sign him permanently from Venezuelan club Deportivo La Guaira, converting what had been a loan arrangement into a permanent transfer. Lamadrid subsequently signed a five-year contract with the club.
The move was reportedly sanctioned personally by Nuno, who sees the young winger as part of his plans to help West Ham mount an immediate promotion push back to the Premier League following their relegation from the top flight. Having already spent time working under the Portuguese coach with the development squad, Lamadrid was expected to be given the opportunity to establish himself in the senior side during pre-season and into the new Championship campaign.
Instead, the injury threatens to delay what would have been his first appearance in a competitive league fixture for West Ham's first team. The club will be keen to manage his recovery carefully, balancing the urgency of getting him involved early in the season against the risk of rushing him back too soon and risking a further setback.
Nuno's squad is already undergoing significant transition following relegation, with the head coach tasked with building a team capable of winning promotion at the first attempt. Young, promising players such as Lamadrid are expected to play a role in that project, but his recovery timeline means he may have to watch the opening weeks of the campaign from the sidelines rather than contribute on the pitch.
West Ham's pre-season schedule, which included the friendly against Magdeburg, has been used by Nuno to assess his options ahead of a crucial campaign. The club will provide further updates on Lamadrid's condition as his recovery progresses, with the hope that he can be integrated into the squad as soon as possible once he returns to full fitness.
For now, attention turns to the Carabao Cup clash with Portsmouth and the looming Championship opener at Turf Moor, with West Ham forced to plan without one of their newest permanent signings as they begin life back in the second tier.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.