Vladimir Coufal undergoing groin surgery could be a blessing in disguise for West Ham United.
The 29-year-old right-back has been a shadow of his former self for the Hammers so far this season.
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He injured his groin way back in September away at Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. And ever since then, he quite simply hasn’t been the same player.
Ben Johnson came into the side in place of the Czech Republic international and kept him out of the team when he returned from injury.
However, David Moyes reintroduced Coufal back into the team towards the end of last year.
It was somewhat of a surprising decision at the time considering how good Johnson had been. It seems as though the 22-year-old may be given another chance to impress now though.
Coufal underwent surgery on his troublesome groin earlier this week and could miss up to six weeks of action (WHUFC.com).
Vladimir Coufal undergoing groin surgery could be a blessing in disguise for West Ham
The 29-year-old has been incredibly poor for the Hammers this season.
Strangely, Moyes has persisted with Coufal, starting him in every Premier League game since the beginning of December.
Ben Johnson must have been thinking what on earth he did wrong! The 22-year-old was superb for the Hammers when filling in for Coufal.
He performed with real maturity considering his tender years and has looked the part pretty much every time he’s worn the famous Claret and Blue.
In 12 Premier League appearances for West Ham this season, the youngster has averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 2.6 clearances per game (Who Scored).
It could be argued that Johnson is actually streets ahead of Vlad. And now he has a proper chance to prove that once again to Moyes.
With Coufal set to miss up to six weeks of action, the 22-year-old should be given a consistent run in Moyes’s starting lineup.
Surely the Scot won’t revert back to Ryan Fredericks…surely he won’t!
Johnson has a huge opportunity now to nail down the West Ham right-back spot for the next decade or so. And we think he’ll grab it with both hands.
The Waltham Forest born ace has absolutely everything needed to succeed at the very highest level. Johnson could very well be the next star to come out of the West Ham academy. And unfortunately for Coufal, the groin surgery he’s been forced to undertake could see him relinquish his starting spot at the London Stadium for quite some time.
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