West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna suffers ACL injury in major blow

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Jack Rosser @JackRosser_9 November 2021

West Ham have been dealt a huge injury blow with Angelo Ogbonna potentially ruled out for the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Sunday’s win over Liverpool.

The Italian was forced off in the first half due to a separate incident having sustained a cut above his eye following a collision with Diogo Jota. However, that came minutes after he had received treatment to his knee from medical staff.

The 33-year-old underwent a scan on Monday which revealed the bad news and will now see a specialist to ascertain the extent of the damage. ACL injuries can take up to nine months to recover from if surgery is required, meaning Ogbonna’s season could be over as soon as November.

West Ham will hope for better news after further consultation but with a smaller squad than many of their rivals, a significant blow has been dealt to their hopes of a top four finish.

Ogbonna went down after his boot appeared to get caught in the turf at the London Stadium while he was racing back to defend against Mohamed Salah.

The former Juventus defender is out of contract at the end of the season, although the Hammers do hold an option for a further year.

West Ham’s head of medical, Richard Collinge, said: “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.”

West Ham said this morning that Ogbonna had already begun his recovery at their Rush Green training ground, though David Moyes will now be considering who makes the step into the first team as a replacement.

Moyes has options in Craig Dawson, who replaced Ogbonna and impressed in the win over Liverpool, or Issa Diop to come in but has relied upon a settled side for their Premier League success so far this season having made only four changes to his starting XI across 11 matches - the fewest of any manager in the division.

Meanwhile, after withdrawing from the Jamaica squad for logistical reasons last month, striker Michail Antonio is making the long trip for games against El Salvador and the United States during this break.

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