Ghana international Andre Dede Ayew has been ruled out for the rest of the year according to multiple reports out of England after picking up an injury on his West Ham debut on Monday.

The midfielder was stretchered off in the Hammers’ 1-2 defeat against Chelsea and manager Slaven Billic says he would be out for weeks, not days. Now various reports say scans have determined that the former Swansea star would not be able to play again until the New Year.

The report would be a crushing blow to West Ham who paid a club record £20million for his services. The four-month absence also means Dede would miss two 2018 world cup qualifiers against Uganda on October 3 at home and Egypt away in November.

It could also keep him out of the 2017 Nations Cup especially when he is due to return so close to the start of the tournament when he has barely played for the club that paid a record fee for his services.