West Ham defender Issa Diop is not injured – he was omitted from the squad for tactical reasons, a reliable club insider has confirmed.
Diop was not even named on the bench as West Ham travelled to Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek. The game ended in a 2-0 defeat as Diop watched on from the stands.
Trusted source EXWHUEmployee has confirmed that this was not due to an injury. Instead, Manuel Pellegrini felt that other options were needed on his substitutes’ bench.
Pellegrini stuck with Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna, who kept a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge while Diop was suspended. If one of them suffered an injury, his plan was to move Declan Rice into central defence and bring on Carlos Sanchez.
What next for Issa Diop?
This is a reality check for Diop, who was a guaranteed starter a few weeks ago. But the Frenchman has not quite hit the heights of last season and he has been outshone by Ogbonna.
Diop is still young and he will continue to improve. West Ham know they have a gem in Diop and will not want to make him disillusioned. He is likely to get another chance in the side over a busy festive period.
Pellegrini’s decision was a strange one, though. Rice is West Ham’s best midfielder; moving him into the defence to bring Sanchez on is a terrible idea. Diop would have been a much more assured option on the bench.
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