Wilshere suffers fresh ankle injury

The playmaker made his return following ankle surgery as a second-half substitute in the win over Newcastle at the weekend and had been expected to feature at least off the bench one again against the 'Bluebirds'.

However, Wilshere was instead conspicuous by his absence from the teamsheet as the 'Hammers' ran out 3-1 winners at the London Stadium, with Pellegrini later confirming that his omission was injury enforced.

"Jack has a small pain in his ankle, not the one he injured before," Pellegrini revealed following the game.

The former Arsenal man has made just five appearances for West Ham since joining them from the 'Gunners' on a free transfer in the summer as he struggles to shake off his reputation for being prone to injuries.

His lack of action is also preventing him from staking a claim for a recall to the England squad, with the 26-year-old having last represented his country in their embarrassing Euro 2016 exit to Iceland.

Meanwhile, West Ham are also waiting for news on the extent of Marko Arnautovic's hamstring injury after he was forced off in the first half against Cardiff.

"We cannot know about Marko at this moment," Pellegrini explained. "We must wait until tomorrow to see the medical examination and then we'll know what it is."