West Ham United defenders Konstantinos Mavropanos and Vladimir Coufal could return for Tuesday’s FA Cup replay against Bristol City, according to Ben Dinnery.

The injury specialist told Premier Injuries (12 January) that both players are currently being assessed at the London Stadium ahead of Tuesday’s game at Ashton Gate (16 January) and are 50 per cent fit.

Coufal and Mavropanos started the third round match at the London Stadium on Sunday (7 January) but Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta were injured as the Hammers drew 1-1.

Crisis:

At the moment, West Ham United are facing a crisis in attack after new injuries to Michail Antonio, Bowen and Paqueta, which will surely force David Moyes and technical director Tim Steidten to do business in the January transfer window.

Bowen and Paqueta are out for up to a month, while Antonio will be out for the next six weeks, which is a big blow for Moyes ahead of a tough run of games in the next few weeks.

The Hammers have several backup options in Danny Ings, Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Maxwel Cornet, but none of them can be relied upon to deliver results after their disappointing performances this season.

Moyes cannot afford to suffer the same fate in defence as key player Nayef Aguerd is representing Morocco at the African Cup of Nations.

Coufal and Mavropanos have been key for the Hammers in recent weeks and fans could be forgiven for fearing the worst when both were injured against Bristol City, but it looks like both will be fine for Tuesday’s replay.

Whether Moyes decides to start them is highly unlikely given the crucial games ahead.