Injury expert Ben Dinnery has suggested that West Ham United defender Craig Dawson could be rested for the Europa Conference League qualifier against Viborg this week. 

The lowdown: Defensive mainstay

Since arriving from Watford on a permanent basis following a loan spell, Dawson has established himself as a regular in the David Moyes starting XI for the Irons.

The 32-year-old former England youth international has made 73 appearances for the Hammers, taking an overall career tally to 437 professional outings, chipping in with seven goals and two assists in the process.

However, after being left out of the defeat to Manchester City at the London Stadium last weekend, one specialist has suggested that Dawson could be used sparingly over the coming weeks...

The latest: 'Looking to leave him out'

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery - who runs the popular Premier Injuries site and contributes to Sky Sports - suggested that should the 16 times capped Under-21 star feature against Nottingham Forest then rest may well be in order.

He said: “This is something that Dawson has carried over from pre-season. But it’s certainly not an injury we would expect to be long-term.

“David Moyes will be looking to bring him back as soon as humanly possible, with Zouma the only recognised, experienced centre-back at the moment. That Europa Conference League tie against Viborg – no disrespect, but that would be a game you’d fully expect West Ham to win comfortably, even if they’re not at full strength.

“If Craig Dawson is to return this weekend, then I’d suggest Moyes would be looking to leave him out for that European game. That’ll keep him fresh for next weekend.

“It could go the other way. If he missed out on Sunday, then he could use that European game to give him some minutes. We could also see Ogbonna feature in that game, as he’s been building fitness with the Under-23s.”

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates-2/" title="West Ham latest updates!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The verdict: Defensive dilemma

Moyes has found himself in somewhat of a predicament in the central defensive department once again after new signing Nayef Aguerd was ruled out, Angelo Ogbonna continues his comeback and Issa Diop headed to Fulham.

Last week in the absence of the man once hailed as 'brilliant' by Gary Neville during a meeting with Chelsea, talented full-back Ben Johnson was forced to act as a makeshift centre-back against City, far from the ideal situation given the strength of the opposition on opening day.

Even with Dawson's potential return in mind, West Ham need to add another defensive option following Diop's departure and GSB should be pushing to turn links to the likes of Thilo Kehrer and Jakub Kiwior into something more substantial.