Mixed injury news for West Ham in EPL

Long-term injury absentees Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho are close to returning to action for West Ham United, the English Premier League club said on Thursday.

Sitting sixth in the league table, the club, however, will miss Cheikhou Kouyate in Saturday's game against Norwich City, while Winston Reid and Joey O'Brien are doubtful.

Midfielder Lanzini, who injured his thigh against Liverpool in early January, is "only a few days away" from a return to full training after missing West Ham's past five EPL games, the club said on its website.

Striker Sakho, who has been sidelined since the end of November with a thigh muscle strain, will return later this month to first-team training.

Defenders Reid and O'Brien picked up hamstring injuries in West Ham's dramatic 2-1 FA Cup win over Liverpool on Tuesday, while James Tomkins is out for six weeks with a calf injury he picked up at the weekend against Southampton.

Kouyate suffered a mild concussion during the Liverpool game that will keep him out of action for at least six days, in accordance with Football Association guidelines.