West Ham United manager David Moyes has dropped a worrying injury claim about Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell ahead of the Irons’ Europa League clash against Sevilla on Thursday.

The Lowdown: West Ham struck by injuries

The Hammers gained a valuable three points in their Premier League top-four pursuit as goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Pablo Fornals ensured a 2-1 win over Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa on Sunday.

This result put West Ham within two points of Manchester United, who were fourth at the time. However, the picture was later changed by Arsenal, who eased to a 2-0 victory over Leicester, pushing themselves back into the Champions League places.

Unfortunately for the Irons, injuries to Antonio and Cresswell forced both players off before the hour mark, adding to Moyes’ injury concerns as his side prepare for their European clash against Sevilla.

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The Latest: Moyes’ injury update…

In his post-match press conference, Moyes was hesitant to answer any injury questions surrounding Antonio and Cresswell, wary of giving Sevilla any team information ahead of Thursday.

In reference to the duo, he claimed (as quoted by football.london): “I don't really know yet but if I did I would not tell you because I am not going to let Sevilla know any idea whether they're going to be fit or not.”

The Verdict: Huge blow if both are injured

Aside from Moyes’ cryptic response, if the injury news isn’t good and the two players are out for Thursday’s clash, it will come as a huge blow for the Hammers, who were already without Jarrod Bowen in the first leg.

Antonio is West Ham's second-leading scorer this season with 10 goals, which speaks volumes for his attacking threat, while both players feature in the top four for the squad in terms of key passes per match, so their absences would deprive the Irons of considerable creativity on a night when they must win to remain in the Europa League.

However, if the manager does know of the results and is just choosing to play dumb ahead of Sevilla, this may be a clever strategy from the 58-year-old as he seeks to keep his opponents guessing.

Therefore, let’s hope that it is the latter rather than the former, although it doesn't look too positive as of yet, with Cresswell already reportedly a doubt for Thursday night.

In other news: Spanish source shares transfer update on this reported West Ham target