'Difficult' - David Moyes on Irons coronavirus cases and injuries update ahead of Leeds United Premier League game for West Ham

The Hammers and Whites met in the FA Cup third round at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Leeds knocked out of the competition by a 2-0 defeat via strikes from Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen.

The two clubs will face off again at the same venue next Sunday afternoon but this time in the Premier League in which West Ham are riding high in fifth place.

The Irons are also in midweek action via Wednesday night's home clash against Norwich City, ahead of which Moyes has provided his latest team news.

Saïd Benrahma, Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell all missed Sunday's cup clash against Leeds, Benrahma on international duty with Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations and the other trio out injured.

Moyes, though, has provided a particularly positive update regarding Zouma but admitted the combination of both injuries and Covid-19 meant assessing team news was not a straight-forward task.

"That's a difficult question to answer," said Moyes at Tuesday's pre-match press conference, as quoted by whufc.com"Like all clubs, injuries and COVID are all round every club, and our club as well.

"It's a difficult time of year and a busy programme as well.

"Kurt's doing well. I couldn't give you an idea of exactly when he'll be back.

"We're just trying to get him correct and in the right condition as well. Hopefully he's not too far away.

"We could probably do with some more cover because of Angelo Ogbonna's season-long injury.

"If I can get Kurt back that eases the pressure, but we're always looking to strengthen and find players who can help us.

"The sooner we can get Kurt back, the better."

Reflecting on his side's recent form which has seen the Irons win three in a row, Moyes pondered: "It's all down to the players because they've got a really good mentality.

"Hopefully it's a changed mentality.

"Keeping focus and not coming off the job... we've had a few weeks when we've been up and down, but we're getting back into a little bit of better form.

"I'm looking forward to getting some players back from injury in the coming weeks and months ahead.

"I was really pleased with the two wins and the cup win against Leeds United, because it's like three Premier League wins in a row.

"We'll treat our next game against Norwich in the same way we've treated the other ones."

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

A message from the Editor:

Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890.

We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/why-yorkshire-evening-post-needs-your-support-laura-collins-yep-editor-2913382

Subscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Click here to subscribe.

For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click here.

Thank you Laura Collins