Ricardo Vaz Tê opts for surgery on dislocated shoulder for long-term fix

• West Ham forward set to miss eight-to-10 weeks
• Operation will ensure right shoulder joint is repaired fully

by David Hytner 7 months ago

Ricardo Vaz Tê will undergo surgery to his right shoulder on Monday and is set to be out of action for between eight and 10 weeks.

The West Ham United forward dislocated the shoulder in his team's 3-1 home defeat to Arsenal on Saturday and Sam Allardyce, the club's manager, said the Portuguese could be sidelined for 12 weeks. Vaz Tê, who has been a key performer in West Ham's encouraging start to their Premier League return, has been given a more favourable prognosis.

He has sought the opinion of three specialists and each was cheered that he had not ruptured any ligaments and could already move and extend the arm. Two of them said that he could proceed without the operation, relying instead upon an intensive course of physiotherapy to target a slightly earlier comeback. But the 26-year-old has taken the safest course to repair fully the joint and avoid future complications, even if it will mean a longer spell on the sidelines.

Vaz Tê, who scored the winning goal in the Championship play-off final at Wembley last May, fell awkwardly after a challenge with the Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone. He has received the support and reassurance of his West Ham team-mates, Winston Reid and James Tomkins, who have endured shoulder injuries in the past.