West Ham manager David Moyes has provided fans with mixed news on the injury front. The Scottish manager is currently planning for his side’s trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United but will be without some first-team players.
Andriy Yarmolenko and Angelo Ogbonna are certain to miss out and will still be out for some time. The Ukrainian is not expected back until the end of the season or maybe later. Ogbonna, however, is making good progress on his recovery mission. The defend3r picked up a nasty ankle injury against the Red Devils in the FA Cup last month.
"“Angelo is doing great. He’s back in the gym regularly. He’s out of his boot and we’re expecting him to start some running on the AlterG, which is the machine that takes a bit of your bodyweight off. He’s coming along and I’m hoping that, maybe by the end of the international break, we might have him back on the grass in some capacity.Moyes on Ogbonna’s fitness"
Angelo Ogbonna is getting closer to full fitness; however, it is unlikely he will feature for West Ham until after the next round of international fixtures.
Ogbonna was only expected t be injured for a month when he was originally assessed. However, the Italian has faced a couple of setbacks in his return to the pitch. Moyes is now hopeful, though, that he will be back challenging for a place in the side by the end of March.
There are signs that we’re getting him back. David Moyes
The defender had been in contention for the Hammer of the Year competition with his performances this season. The ankle injury Ogbonna picked up put a halt to his season, in which he had been the best defender in the club. Luckily for West Ham, Issa Diop has stepped up in his absence and formed a good partnership with Craig Dawson.
Moyes, however, did have some more concerning news. The manager said that there are a couple of unnamed players in the squad who have picked up small knocks. Moyes does not know yet if the knocks will keep them out of the match against Manchester United, but will make a decision on them on Sunday.
In happier news, West Ham will likely welcome long-term absentee Arthur Masuaku back into the fold soon. The defender returned to first-team training today and will need to build up his match fitness over the next couple of weeks before making his Premier League return.