West Ham hope Kurt Zouma will return this season after avoiding ankle break

West Ham are hopeful Kurt Zouma will not miss the rest of the season after the centre-back damaged ankle ligaments at Crystal Palace last Saturday.

A scan has shown that Zouma, who went off during the first half of his side’s 4-3 defeat, did not sustain a break when he tried to stop Jordan Ayew from scoring Palace’s first goal. But he has a badly swollen ankle and is unlikely to make a swift return.

The injury has the potential to rule the 28-year-old out for the rest of the season but Zouma is regarded as a quick healer and there is optimism he will return to play a part in West Ham’s push to avoid relegation and win the Europa Conference League.

There will be concern over Zouma’s injury record. He has had several setbacks since joining from Chelsea two years ago and underwent knee surgery this season.

West Ham, who are four points above the bottom three before visiting Manchester City on Wednesday night, will not want to be without Zouma for long. David Moyes’s ideal pairing in central defence has been Zouma and Nayef Aguerd. Both players have struggled with injuries.

Angelo Ogbonna is likely to replace Zouma against City, with Thilo Kehrer also hoping to be involved. West Ham may have to do without Zouma when they host AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final next Thursday.

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Moyes’s side have a tricky run of fixtures in the league. After visiting City, they host Manchester United on Sunday and visit their bogey team, Brentford, on 14 May. They finish with games against two of their relegation rivals, Leeds United and Leicester City.