LONDON, Nov 19 — West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna looks certain to miss the rest of the Premier League season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Liverpool, manager David Moyes said on Friday.

Ogbonna, 33, is to undergo surgery after sustaining the knee injury in the Hammers’ 3-2 win at the London Stadium on November 7, which lifted them to third in the table.

"He is going to have surgery, we think surgery will take place over the next couple of days,” said Moyes, who is preparing his players for a trip to face Wolves on Saturday.

"I think most people who know much about injuries and listen to what the doctors say, cruciate ligament injuries tend to take I think somewhere around about nine months. I don’t think there’s a quick return from cruciates.

think there is a period which has to be taken and recovery time. So I would probably say ‘yes’, I think it will be hard for Angelo to be back this season.”

Ogbonna’s absence will be a major blow to West Ham’s unexpected bid to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Moyes’ men have been one of the surprise stories of the season, knocking Manchester City and Manchester United out of the League Cup, prior to their thrilling top-flight victory against Liverpool.

"It’s really sad, because he’s done a great job for us, he is a great boy, a great team player,” Moyes said. — AFP