West Ham United defender Angelo Ogbonna has tipped Italian teammate Gianluca Scamacca to have a big future after his recent run of form for the Hammers.
The former Juventus defender found himself joined by current Gli Azzurri star Scamacca at the London Stadium and recently, the £30.5million acquisition has been in excellent form since his arrival in David Moyes’ side.
Scamacca is the club’s top scorer with six goals in all competitions this season, including four in the Europa Conference League, three goals in his last three appearances and netting in both of the Hammers ’ Premier League wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham since returning from the international break.
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West Ham boss Moyes has previously praised Ogbonna for taking Scamacca under his wing and Ogbonna has spoken highly of the 23-year-old, who has averaged a goal every 97 minutes for the Hammers, suggesting he has plenty of room to grow, as well as speaking highly of him as a player off the pitch.
“As a person, he’s a good person, even better than what we expected,” Ogbonna told football.london . “ I think he listens a lot, he’s very very good. He’s young and he reminds me of when I came here, I didn’t have anyone around me who spoke English and spoke Italian as well. The manager has got a Scottish accent as well, it’s not easy.
“I tried to help him to settle, even off the pitch. With all of the player care and the lads, we try to help each other.
“I think his potential is very high and the way he shows his potential, is magnificent. It’s not easy to step in and do that kind of thing. He’s still young, he needs to keep his feet on floor. I think he’s a good lad but he’s still young. We don’t need to push him too much.”
Ogbonna also spoke about his future at the club as one of the longest-serving veterans currently in Moyes’ squad, making 208 appearances for West Ham in all competitions since moving from Juventus in the summer of 2015.
The 34-year-old’s contract is up at the end of the season and having just recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out of around nine months of action, his focus is on just enjoying his football again after such a long period
“To be honest, no. I’m enjoying the moment, every time,” added Ogbonna. “I’ve just come back from a long journey, to be honest. I think when the time comes, maybe we can sit at the table.”
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