West Ham's Jack Wilshere faces spell out with ankle injury

West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere has sustained an ankle injury, putting him in doubt for a busy run of Premier League fixtures this month, manager Manuel Pellegrini has said.

Wilshere, whose career has been blighted by fitness issues, returned to action after left ankle surgery earlier this month but suffered a fresh injury to his right leg that has kept him out of the last two league matches.

"Is it more serious than first thought? Maybe, because when he felt the pain it was in his `good` ankle, not the ankle where he had the surgery," Pellegrini told a news conference ahead of Saturday`s trip to Fulham.

"We hoped it was just a pain and that he could adjust for two or three days but for different things it`s been longer than we expected... it`s difficult to know when he`ll be back," he added.

West Ham, who are currently standing at the 11th spot on the Premier League table with 21 points from 16 matches, are slated to take on Watford, Southampton and Burnley later this month.