David Moyes shares Angelo Ogbonna update ahead of West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt
David Moyes has shared a positive fitness update on Angelo Ogbonna ahead of West Ham versus Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Hammers will face the German outfit in the first leg of the semi-final clash on Thursday night at the London Stadium.
Ogbonna has been ruled out till the end of the season, but Moyes suggests he returned to the training building this week.
“Ogbonna is back. He came back into the building this week. I’d be amazed if he played. Kurt is back doing light work and is ahead of schedule,” said Moyes, as quoted by Football London.
Unlikely
Kurt Zouma also picked up an injury against Brentford in the Premier League. The Frenchman is way ahead of his schedule but the Thursday’s Europa League clash may have come too soon for him.
Ogbonna is another player who has been out of action for a while and there’s no point risking the veteran defender for the rest of the campaign.
It’s highly unlikely that either of the two players will take any part in this crucial game on Thursday.
With Issa Diop also out injured the Hammers are really short of options at centre-back.
Will Moyes stick with the same system that he used during the 1-0 defeat against Chelsea?
Aaron Cresswell is back following his suspension while Craig Dawson’s suspension doesn’t apply to European games.
Moyes can use Ben Johnson and Cresswell on either side of Dawson, while Vladimir Coufal and Arthur Masuaku operate as wing-backs.
With Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen likely to start, the Hammers will have a strong set-up against Frankfurt, at least on paper.
It’s important to start the game strongly, but the Hammers must ensure they keep their discipline intact, as going down to 10-men again could be a catastrophe.
In other West Ham news, one key Irons star is still angry about what happened earlier in his career.
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Hammers plus more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.