Kurt Zouma's absence against Lyon is a "massive blow" for West Ham, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The centre-back hobbled out of the Hammers' game against Brentford on Sunday and might not play again this season.

What happened to Zouma?

Zouma has enjoyed a fine first campaign since moving to the London Stadium from Chelsea last summer, but he's had his fair share of injuries.

Firstly, he missed 11 games after a hamstring injury sustained against his former club back in December and he is now facing another long spell on the sidelines after injuring his knee in West Ham's defeat at Brentford last weekend.

Following the setback, the Hammers confirmed that Zouma will miss their crunch Europa League tie against Lyon, but the Guardian believe that having undergone scans on the issue, it could be far worse.

The report suggests that the 27-year-old, who's made 27 appearances for the Hammers this term, is facing the prospect of more than a month on the treatment table, which could be enough to see him miss the remainder of the campaign.

What did O'Rourke say about Zouma?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "It's a massive blow to lose somebody like Kurt Zouma for such a big game as this is for West Ham.

"He had a lot of defending to do in the first leg and defended resolutely in that game, and you would expect it to be another tough game in France, so to lose someone of Zouma's quality and experience is going to be a huge blow for David Moyes, who's already without Angelo Ogbonna."

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Who could replace Zouma against Lyon?

West Ham only have four senior centre-backs on their books, and with half of those currently out injured, Moyes doesn't have many options ahead of the game in France.

Ogbonna is already recovering from a long-term knee injury sustained in November and might not play again this season, while Zouma is now also in a race against time to play again in 2021-2022.

Therefore, Issa Diop should be handed a rare start after playing 61 minutes in place of Zouma at Brentford last time out.

Diop has generally been underwhelming when given chances this season and was heavily criticised for his performance against Kidderminster earlier in 2022, meaning West Ham will need him to step up to the plate if they're to have any chance of progressing to the semi-finals of Europa League.