A MASSIVE OPPROTUNITY PROVIDED TO ONE WEST HAM YOUNGSTER AS ISSA DIOP INJURED.

These next few weeks could very well be a huge chance to shine for West Ham youngster Aji Alese after the injury blow to Issa Diop.

The 25-year-old Hammers centre-back has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury.

The news really couldn’t have come at a worse time what with so many vitally important games on the horizon for West Ham.

Craig Dawson is the only senior centre-back left standing at the moment. So David Moyes has a big decision to make.

Does he move Declan Rice back into defence? Does he try out Alex Kral as a centre-back? He could dip into the free agent market of course, but we believe the answer to West Ham’s centre-back problem is staring Moyes right in the face…

This may well be Aji Alese’s time to shine.

He seems to be a tailor made Diop replacement and we could now see just how good the young Hammers centre-back really is.

The 21-year-old is an incredibly exciting young talent and it surely won’t be too long before he is a first-team regular for David Moyes at the London Stadium, regardless of whether other senior players are injured or not.

Alese really does have it all.

Crucially, he is a left-footed centre-back – something that makes him the ideal long-term replacement for Angelo Ogbonna.

Alese is incredibly strong in the air yet he is very quick along the ground as well. Standing at 6ft 4in tall, Alese cuts a really imposing figure.

The 21-year-old hasn’t put a foot wrong at youth level for West Ham and these next five or six weeks could be huge for him as he looks to make a step up to the next level at the London Stadium.

He was recently described as an ‘incredible’ young talent by The Athletic.

Whether David Moyes will be brave enough to throw Alese in the deep end after the Issa Diop injury blow, however, remains to be see.