Insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that West Ham United defender Issa Diop could be out for the rest of the season.
As we enter the final stages of the season, the Hammers still have plenty to play for. Indeed, David Moyes’ men are still chasing a strong finish in the Premier League, while they have a European semi-final to play in the near future as well.
However, if they are to end this campaign on a high note, they will have to overcome some pretty strong adversity. Indeed, while writing on The West Ham Way Patreon page, Ex explained that a ‘serious’ ankle injury to Diop could leave the club with a severe shortage of centre-back options.
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He wrote: “We are really disappointed to report that we believe Issa Diop has sustained a serious ankle injury (possible Achilles tendon injury). He is currently in a lot of pain and the outlook does not look good. He took a kick to the ankle during the Burnley game and was seen limping at the end of the game.
“Whilst the reports are not confirmed in terms of how long he is out for, we believe this is probably season-ending. We are now down to one fit first-team centre-back in Dawson, who has also been playing through the pain this season!
“This a massive blow and could be the time for Alese or Baptiste to step up, or Declan at centre-back and Noble in for a fairytale end to the season! You could also play a 3 with Cresswell, Dawson, Johnson/Coufal.
“This has come from a top source in the club. The club will hope either Zouma or Ogbonna can recover quicker (Ogbonna is thought to be ahead of schedule) than they had been originally diagnosed with as well! Or that there is a small chance Diop is not as bad as first feared.”
TIF Thoughts on West Ham and their defensive options…
As Ex mentions in his post, the Hammers are already in a bad position when it comes to fit centre-backs. Angelo Ogbonna is still recovering from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury, while Kurt Zouma is also out with an ankle injury he suffered against Brentford recently.
On top of that, Craig Dawson has been playing with injections for most of the season, so he hasn’t been operating at full fitness.
This news really will come as a ‘huge blow’ for West Ham, who still have so much to play for over the coming weeks and months. One solution, as Ex also mentioned, could be Declan Rice. The midfielder started his first-team career in the centre of defence, but has played the whole season further up the field, so this could be a difficult transition for the team to make.
Either way, Moyes won’t have an easy task trying to adapt his team to function without so many defenders.
In other news: Moyes could change his mind and say goodbye to WHUFC 29 y/o if rumour is true – opinion