David Moyes has delivered a positive injury update on the fitness of West Ham centre-back Issa Diop ahead of the Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday.
The Lowdown: Twist in the tale
The 25-year-old was originally ruled out for the season after sustaining a serious ankle injury in the Hammers’ 1-1 draw against Burnley earlier this month, which came as a huge blow considering the fact that the Irons have reached the semi-finals of the Europa League and were already without Angelo Ogbonna long-term.
However, in an exciting new twist, the Scottish manager has now revealed that the defender could potentially make a return to action before the end of the campaign, adding to the good news in the defensive department after Kurt Zouma returned to the fray on Thursday night.
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The Latest: An outside chance
During his pre-match press conference ahead of the meeting with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Moyes announced that Diop is making some great progress and still has hope of a comeback prior to the end of May.
The boss said: “Issa is making a really good recovery and there’s always an outside chance he’ll be back before the end of the season.
“We were worried and didn’t think he would be, but we think there is a good chance that he could be. But we can’t confirm that at this moment.”
The Verdict: No need to rush
Whether the Frenchman gets declared fit in time to play again or not, there would be no point in rushing a return as this could cause an unnecessary setback that could affect his rehabilitation in the long term.
The £10.8m-rated ace has made 26 appearances in all competitions for West Ham this term, scoring one goal and providing one assist during that time and winning 1.5 of his duels on average per 90 minutes, via WhoScored.
For now, it’s much more important that the club look after him and prepare him ready for the start of the 2022/23 season, when Diop will hopefully be able to come back into contention and help his London outfit push for a place in the top six.
In other news… West Ham are said to be eyeing a move for a 5 foot 8 maestro this summer.