Neill out for two weeks

West Ham’s new signing Lucas Neill is set to be out of action for around two weeks with the ankle injury picked up on his debut.

Neill, 28, made his Hammers bow in Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 home defeat by Watford in the FA Cup fourth round, but lasted just 48 minutes due to the injury sustained when he fell awkwardly in the first half.

A scan has revealed only minor damage and the Australian full-back is now likely to miss three Barclays Premiership games.

“Lucas suffered an inversion sprain to his right ankle,” said head physiotherapist Steve Allen. “Following MRI scans on Sunday, his estimated recovery time is two to three weeks, but we are hopeful that he could be back sooner.”