"Been a massive turnaround" - Journalist drops verdict on West Ham ace once labelled a "monster"

West Ham defender Issa Diop has had a significant upturn in form recently, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The 25-year-old was struggling for game time at the start of the season, but he has been playing more regularly for David Moyes’ side since December.

Diop did not play a single minute in any of West Ham’s first 14 top-flight games this season as he found himself behind Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson in the pecking order.

However, he then started eight consecutive league games for the Hammers, and has started to work his way back into Moyes’ plans.

Jose Mourinho previously labelled the centre-back as a “monster” back in 2018, and he has begun to show signs of returning to his best form over the past few months.

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O’Rourke has claimed that there was interest in Diop from a Premier League rival in the last couple of transfer windows, and it looked like the £10.8m-rated defender could be on his way out of the London Stadium.

He is now performing at a high level, though, and O’Rourke thinks it will be fascinating to see if other clubs try to sign him at the end of the season.

Speaking about Diop’s return to form, O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: “It’s been a massive turnaround. There was talk of Newcastle being interested in Diop in the summer and in January. So, it will be interesting to see if any clubs do come calling for him.”

Although he has started playing more in recent months, Diop is still far from an established member of West Ham’s starting XI.

In fact, when everyone is fit, he may still only be the side’s fourth-choice central defender.

With this in mind, the period between now and the end of the season could be crucial