Premier League

Ogbonna will be worried about impending Balbuena return

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OPINION

Many West Ham fans were no doubt in awe of the central defensive partnership comprising of Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena at the start of the season.

They were magnificent alongside each other and they certainly looked like they would not be dropped from the starting XI any time soon, well that was until Balbuena sustained a knee problem and was sidelined for a while.

In stepped Angelo Ogbonna, a player never usually considered as first choice under Manuel Pellegrini, and that was certainly evident when he first filled in for Balbuena.

However, he has undergone somewhat of a transformation recently and has actually surprised many by how assured he has been in the defence over the past few games – but he should not get too comfortable if a report from Claret and Hugh is anything to go by.

They state that Balbuena is expected to make a recovery from his injury faster than originally thought, which means that Ogbonna’s place in the first team is being seriously compromised despite performing at a high standard recently.

Pellegrini is spoilt for choice in the centre-back position now Balbuena’s return is closer than many had expected, but it may now mean that the £70,000-a-week [Spotrac] player is relegated to the sidelines once again.

This is the last thing he would want to happen after making huge strides recently in terms of his form, and to be honest, it would be a shame to see him on the bench after making such an improvement.

It now appears that the manager has a dilemma on his hands, but it is likely that he will opt for Balbuena after the impact he made at the start of the season.

Either way, Ogbonna will be seriously sweating from now on – and you cannot really blame him.

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