West Ham star Jarrod Bowen is pushing to face Sheffield United this weekend in a major boost to David Moyes’s injury-hit side.

Bowen suffered an ankle injury in the dying moments of the FA Cup third round draw with Bristol City earlier this month and will play no part in tonight’s replay at Ashton Gate.

The forward suffered heavy swelling and was helped off the field by two physios, with initial fears he could face up to a month on the sidelines.

Those concerns were eased last week, when further assessment found the issue to be not as serious as first suggested, but Bowen’s recovery has surpassed even more optimistic expectations and could return in time for the trip to Bramall Lane.

The Englishman has been in prolific form for his club this season, scoring 14 goals across all competitions and 11 in 19 matches in the Premier League.

West Ham currently sit sixth in the table following a superb run of results over the festive period and can move within three points of fifth-placed Tottenham with victory over the Blades on Sunday afternoon.

However, optimism over another challenge for the European places has faltered in recent weeks following injuries to Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio, while Mohammed Kudus is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Kudus, though, could end up back sooner than expected if the Black Stars cannot recover from a poor start to their campaign, having been upset by Cape Verde on Sunday evening, a game the West Ham forward sat out as he recovers from a hamstring problem. Ghana meet Egypt in their crucial second match on Thursday.