West Ham United's Diafra Sakho is set to miss the remainder of the Premier League season.

The Senegalese striker has been restricted to just two matches all campaign because of a back injury first sustained in the summer.

Sakho returned to action in November but was struck down again by the problem and it is understood that he will now be sidelined for the rest of the term.

West Ham's medical chief Stijn Vandenbroucke has revealed that the 27-year-old is about to undertake his own personal pre-season regime following surgery, which will take up to five weeks, essentially ruling him out until the summer.

"Diaf is essentially at the start of his own personal pre-season training schedule," Vandenbroucke said on whufc.com.

"When players return from their off-season, they will go through four to five weeks of pre-season work to build up their strength and fitness.

"After undergoing back surgery and three months of rehab, a player needs time to reach sufficient fitness levels before we can contemplate making him available for selection in the Premier League."