West Ham defender Oliver Scarles was hauled off in their 2-1 loss to Leeds United with what looked to be a serious injury, and insider ExWHUemployee has now shared how long he'll be out for.
The Hammers are second-bottom in the Premier League and have conceded more goals than any other side in the division thus far.
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In his last two games, under-pressure new boss Nuno Espirito Santo has gone with a centre-back pairing of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, with both men struggling to deal with opposition attacks.
West Ham have precious few alternatives to Kilman and Todibo, with Konstantinos Mavropanos sidelined for the foreseeable future.
West Ham's results in the Premier League so far
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
Leeds 2-1 West Ham
The Greek international, who had been selected for nearly every game since West Ham's only victory of the campaign at Nottingham Forest, faces up to six weeks out after picking up a hamstring injury at home to Brentford (GiveMeSport).
The last thing Nuno needs is another defensive injury, but according to insider Ex, Scarles has joined Mavropanos on the sidelines with the extent of his injury revealed.
The academy graduate was deployed at full-back against Brentford and started again away to Leeds, but was forced off in the opening 20 minutes after fracturing his collarbone.
West Ham have since confirmed that the 19-year-old has undergone successful surgery on the problem, with Performance Director Richard Collinge estimating he could return in December.
“The surgery has gone well and Ollie will now concentrate on his recovery and rehabilitation here at Rush Green," Collinge said.
"With the aim of returning to action in December.”
However, while this is the official line from the club, insider Ex believes that Scarles could be out for even longer.
West Ham dealt Scarles blow with real return timeline revealed
Writing via his West Ham Way Patreon, Ex states that Scarles actually faces as long as three months on the sidelines — meaning the teenager might not be back in action until 2026.
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“It’s bad news in regards to Scarles unfortunately, with the player suffering a collar bone injury,” stated Ex.
“It meant that surgery was needed and will mean a period of 2-3 months on the sidelines, in another injury blow to Nuno following the injury to Mavropanos – who is out for 4-6 weeks at present.”
The England Under-20 international seriously impressed at youth level for West Ham before breaking into the first-team — even bagging three goals and 14 assists in 50 appearances for the Under-18s.
The attack-minded full-back also notched 13 goal contributions (six goals, seven assists) for the Under-21s, with Scarles since making 19 senior cameos in total for the east Londoners.
He was clearly starting to impress Nuno too, after being given the starting nod in each of West Ham's last two Premier League games, so this layoff will be a major blow to him personally.
West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo looks dejected after the match
It was Julen Lopetegui who handed Scarles his Premier League debut last season, with Graham Potter then using the youngster on a pretty regular basis towards the end of 2024/2025.
“I need more than a word. Amazing. That’s some performance," Potter said after Scarles impressed during his first ever Premier League start against Arsenal last term.
“He’s been really, really good since we’ve come in. It’s a big thank-you to the academy, because that type of player is [rare]. And person as well - he’s a really good character. Obviously I’m saying a lot now, but I need to calm it down because he’s still young and has a lot to do."
With Mavropanos out injured too, it represents a golden opportunity for summer signing Igor Julio to battle his way into the starting eleven.
Nuno must give Igor Julio a chance amid West Ham defensive crisis