West Ham United’s dream season in the Premier League may have received its first hiccup, with centre-back Angelo Ogbonna suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the game against Liverpool (3-2).
The Italian was substituted after he had collided with Diogo Jota while attempting to win a header. He had received some treatment for it on the pitch and tried to continue for a couple of minutes but was taken off immediately with Craig Dawson taking his place.
“After being substituted following a separate incident that led to him suffering a cut above his eye, Angelo felt some discomfort in his right knee so we scanned him to ascertain the extent of the injury.
That scan has shown up some damage to the anterior cruciate ligament and we have begun his rehabilitation immediately. Angelo will see another specialist this week and we will then have a clearer picture around his timeline of recovery,”
The Hammers medical head Richard Collinge said.
David Moyes has given Ogbonna 11 starts in the Premier League this season, and he has scored one goal for the club. The defender has been a very integral part of this unit, and has escalated himself under the ex-Manchester United manager since the start of last season. Ogbonna also received a call from national manager Roberto Mancini last season and was in contention for the same yet again with his recent form.
West Ham are currently sitting third on the points table and are starting to dream of big things. Moyes has totally transformed this unit, forming a core around Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and others.
They have beaten Manchester United in the League Cup tie, and followed it up with a win against Manchester City on penalties in the next round. They are level on points with the Citizens in the Premier League, and having gained a position in Europa League for this season, they have one eye on Europe’s elite competition, the Champions League, for 2022/23.
