West Ham United goalkeeper Joseph Anang has spent the duration of the 2022/23 season out on loan with League One side Derby County.
The Ghana-born stopper joined the third-tier side on loan at the start of the season but is yet to make his Rams debut after suffering a broken arm injury shortly after his arrival at Pride Park.
Having been an unused substitute for August’s goalless draw with Shrewsbury Town, Anang has not featured in a matchday squad since after three months out of action, returning to West Ham’s Rush Green training ground to do some of his rehabilitation work.
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Anang is however due to return to the East Midlands shortly as he aims to make a long-awaited debut for the Rams and the one-time England Under-20s international has opened up on his injury heartbreak this season.
“It was in my second session with Derby,” Anang told West Ham’s club website. “We were doing a training game, and there was a through-ball. I went down to get the ball at someone’s feet and my arm got kicked.
“To be honest, I didn’t realise at the time how bad it was. It was just really sore. I thought it was just a really bad bruise but, after a scan, they told me it was broken.
“I’ve been back to West Ham to do some of my rehab, but I’m back up to Derby County this week. The rehab is going very well though. I’ve been injured for exactly 12 weeks now but my cast comes off at the end of the week. Then I’ll be back in training and, hopefully after a couple of weeks of full training, I’ll be fit and ready to get back to playing.
“It’s been really good at Derby so far. Obviously, with the injury, it’s been frustrating, but everyone at the club has been really supportive.
“They didn’t just send me back to West Ham. They wanted to keep me there to make sure I was recovering properly and getting back to fitness. They’ve been really good with me.”
From previous loans with St Patrick’s Athletic and Stevenage, Anang has made 48 first-team appearances across League Two and the League of Ireland Premier Division since the start of last season.
Now that he is close to a return from injury, he is eyeing to add to the number of senior matches he has already featured in.
“It’s been great to be at Rush Green for a little while,” he said. “I’ve been out on loan consistently for over a year now, so to come back to West Ham for a few days and have a catch up with everyone was really nice.
“I feel like going out on loan is part of the experience of becoming a footballer. I am at an age where I need to go out on loan to play games, and overall it’s been a great experience for me.
“At the moment, I’ve got around 50 first team games under my belt, and I want to get even more.”
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