With the international break drawing to a close, West Ham fans can begin to get excited again for the return of league football.
Two wins and a draw in the opening four games of the season have seen Manuel Pellegrini’s side start the 2019/20 campaign surprisingly well, and this return to form has been spearheaded by a number of factors such as the West Ham boss finding the right starting XI with a fully-fit squad to chose from as well as new signings hitting the ground running.
Indeed, Mark Noble has been impressed with the Hammers early season form so far, and it is telling that speaking to the club’s official website that the captain admitted that the return of attacker Andriy Yarmolenko from a long-term injury has been a huge morale boost to the West Ham squad.
The West Ham captain said: “I think everyone was really pleased for him. We’ve all seen what he’s been through in the last ten months. He started off really well for the club and got a couple of goals, but then he got that injury. No matter what, even if you’re injured for two weeks, you don’t feel a part of it as you’re not out there training with the lads, and he has suffered.”
The Ukrainian attacker, who is valued on Transfermarkt at £18m, made his return to first-team football earlier in the season after Yarmolenko missed the majority of last year due to an Achilles injury, however, the former Borussia Dortmund winger has hit the ground running, scoring in West Ham’s impressive 2-0 win over Norwich before the international break.
The return of Yarmolenko has seemingly improved the atmosphere around the West Ham dressing room, with the performance against the Canaries widely seen as one of the best in Pellegrini’s tenure as manager of the east London club, and this game highlights just how important the 31-year-old’s return to the first-team is.
West Ham now look like a side that could turn some heads this season, with a fully-fit Yarmolenko being buoyed on by his captain and surrounded by the likes of Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson, there is a reason to believe the Hammers could be in for a big year under Pellegrini.
