The West Ham United centre-back has been almost ever present for his team this season.
Mark Noble spoke exclusively to the club’s official website, and suggested that Issa Diop really needs a rest, having played every Premier League game since making his debut against Arsenal way back in August.
The Frenchman joined the Hammers from Toulouse in the summer, for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £22 million, and he has already proven to be a huge hit at the London Stadium.
Diop has arguably been West Ham’s most consistent performer all season long, and his stock has risen massively over the past six months.
The 22-year-old has looked rather leggy in recent weeks, however.
The problem for Manuel Pellegrini is that he cannot afford to rest Diop, especially with Fabian Balbuena out injured.
And Noble alluded to the fact that the France under-21 international could really do with a rest, when speaking exclusively to the club’s official website:
“If you look at the last six weeks, we’ve played a lot of games and that has had a cumulative effect. Issa Diop, for one, has played every game since he made his debut at Arsenal back in August and could probably do with a rest but at the moment, we haven’t any alternatives.”
West Ham face Liverpool at home next on Monday night, before they travel to Crystal Palace five days later, so Diop will almost certainly not be rested for either of those games.
The Hammers then have a two-week break, however, so the Frenchman will have ample time to recuperate and recover in time for his side’s clash with Fulham on February 22nd.
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