The Athletic’s West Ham United correspondent Roshane Thomas has claimed that Issa Diop is in line for more game time soon.
During the 2019/20 Premier League season, the French centre-back made 32 appearances for West Ham and earned a relatively decent 6.62/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
However, during the current campaign, the 23-year-old defender has made just three appearances in the top flight for the Hammers.
In those outings, the Frenchman has also delivered unimpressive performances as he has earned a weak 6.27/10 average rating, making him West Ham’s fifth-worst performer this term.
In the latest episode of The Athletic’s U Irons podcast, Thomas revealed that Diop would be getting more first-team minutes in the near future. (36:07)
He said: “I reckon Diop will play in one of the next two games, whether it’s Leeds or Crystal Palace, just to rotate the team – to freshen it up a little bit.
“[Players] can’t play every match during the Christmas period, it’s just pretty much impossible really. So, I reckon he will be involved soon.
“He must be itching to get back in the team because he has previously been an important player for West Ham – to now be on the outside looking in, he must be hating that.
“So, I reckon when he comes back in the team, he’ll have a point to prove.”
TIF Thoughts on what Roshane Thomas said about Issa Diop…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, he believes that the French centre-back is in line to start against either Leeds or Crystal Palace.
Should Issa Diop have started more games for West Ham this season?
No, he's not good enough
Yes, he's a quality player
Hopefully, if he does start in those games for West Ham, Diop can recreate his form from the 2018/19 season, when he earned a solid 6.89/10 average rating (per WhoScored).
Defensively, the player has been a long way off his performances in that campaign during the current term.
In the 2018/19 season, Diop managed 2.1 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per game, whereas this season, he has managed just 0.7 tackles and 1.0 interceptions per outing.
So, it is clear to see that the centre-back has not been performing as well as he can do.