West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic has confirmed via his Instagram that he will be ruled out for “a while”, and the team expect his absence to stretch into the New Year, per the Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

Arnautovic was forced off in Tuesday night’s win over Cardiff City, as the 29-year-old pulled up clutching his hamstring in the 40th minute.

His side went on to win 3-1, thanks to goals by Lucas Perez and Michail Antonio, but a scan on Wednesday revealed the full extent of the blow.

The Hammers are now expecting their joint-top goalscorer to be out until at least January, leaving manager Manuel Pellegrini facing a busy schedule without their go-to striker.

Austria’s 77-cap international wrote on his Instagram: “I will be out for a while but I will do everything to come back stronger and quick.

“Let’s go, I will do everything to be back for my team.”

Arnautovic is set to miss the Irons’ London derbies with Crystal Palace and Fulham, while he is also likely to be absent against Watford, Southampton and Burnley prior to 2019.

Andy Carroll’s saving grace

A professional footballer should never wish an injury on a teammate to get their chance, but one man’s loss is another man’s gain and in this case, the man set to profit is Carroll.

Carroll only made his season debut in Tuesday’s win, coming on in place of Javier Hernandez in the 64th minute, as the 6ft 4in striker completed his long-awaited return from ankle surgery.

Pellegrini has previously noted that he has no space for the former Liverpool forward in his Premier League starting XI, but plans change when key men are out of action.

With his contract also set to expire in the summer, he must grab the bull by the horns in Arnautovic’s absence to secure his future in claret and blue. Fellow strikers Hernandez and Perez, however, will be doing all they can to be the starting man instead.