Hammers rue Parker loss
11 Jan 2008 - 07:45:36
West Ham United will be without Scott Parker for at least six weeks after the midfielder suffered a second serious injury since joining the club in the summer.
Parker, who arrived at Upton Park from Newcastle for £7million in June, picked up a knee problem in the 2-1 victory over Manchester United on December 29.
The England midfielder has already missed three months of the campaign after a previous knee injury suffered in September.
Parker will join fellow new signings Julien Faubert (Achilles) and Craig Bellamy (abdominal strain) on the sidelines.
"This one we couldn't account for," manager Alan Curbishley told the club's official website.
"He has gone for a tackle and (Cristiano) Ronaldo's fallen on him and pushed his knee in.
"He is a strong lad and he will work so hard to get back.
"The frustrating thing for me is that the first few weeks of pre-season the tempo was set by Faubert, Parker and Bellamy - three big signings for us.
"They come into the club and were determined to do well but in one fell swoop we lost them all.
"The frustration is there for everybody. We know we are a strong squad when we get it all together."
