ExWHUEmployee details Issa Diop injury ahead of pre-season games
West Ham defender Issa Diop is still lacking match fitness and isn’t ready to compete in a pre-season game.
The Hammers took on Leyton Orient and Northampton Town simultaneously on Tuesday evening as David Moyes looks to give more players a chance to impress.
Next season, with the Europa League commitments, West Ham will need to rely on their squad depth and a number of youngsters could be handed first-team minutes next season.
Diop who is Moyes’ first-choice centre-back option is yet to compete in pre-season and ExWHUEmployee has said that he’s undergoing a personalised training programme at the moment.
He said, via his personal Twitter account, “Not fully fit. He is on a personalised training programme at moment.”
Need him fit
We’re likely to sign a centre-back this summer to provide competition and possibly be an upgrade on Diop and Craig Dawson next season.
Angelo Ogbonna is also an option, but his best days are probably behind him and he would have to contend for a backup role.
However, if we fail to sign another midfielder and Declan Rice is injured, Diop’s one of the few utility players we have among our ranks who could slot into that defensive midfield role.
Pre-season would’ve been the perfect time to give him some regular minutes in an unfamiliar position, but unfortunately, he’s been out of action for the first couple of games.
We trust our medical team to do their jobs and back Diop for a quick recovery. He was on the bench for the last game so it’s likely that his condition may have been aggravated.
There’s no update as to whether or not he’ll be back for our next game, but it’s best that we don’t rush him back in to action.
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