Issa Diop is not a player David Moyes has ever been keen to sell.
Despite some less than average recent performances the manager has a high opinion of the player.
And at 25 years of age his very best is probably still to come and calls from some fans that he should be sold and replaced in the summer look and sound premature.
Moyes feels much the same way about the former Toulouse defender as he did Manu Lanzini when his future was very much under the microscope as his form slumped.
At the time Moyes made it clear he wasn’t a player he would ever want to sell and that time and patience could well prove the answer – as has been the case of course.
With Paris Saint Germain making noises about their admiration for Diop it therefore comes as no surprise to hear Moyes closing ranks around the player – notably after his performance at Leicester City.
He said: “We like Issa, we really do. We think Issa has, I was going to say potential, but we feel because he has been here that long we feel his potential should be out and he should be showing it and maturing with it.
“He has a lot of good attributes and I am pleased he did play well, he had a good game and I could not turn around and fault him too much on anything he did.”
While there has been so much chat about an exit , Moyes has no real desire to sell him and given the prices clubs are demanding for others he could well be right.
Issa is out of contract next June but has a year’s option left on his deal. Our bet is he is set to be around for two more years at least and possibly more.
I always liked him but thought moyes didn’t and leaving him out of the team many times preferring Dawson on that right side as Diop is really right sided too was fair enough as Dawson although slow and has poor distribution has played well otherwise and pops up with goals too. So now oggy on that left side probably won’t ever return we have Dawson and zouma with Diop and alese as back ups. Now zouma will probably return in a week or so and Diop played really well I’m expecting Diop to step down still against Newcastle at home and only if zouma is still unwell then that means playing same centre backs as we did against Leicester! More worried about the two full backs and would prefer Johnson on the right and alese on the left while Cresswell sits it out after giving both goals away again last time and nothing going forwards . Why moyes doesn’t play longelo at left back when his fit again is beyond me and shows me moyes is not just stubborn but certainly not a top coach although done well to a certain degree but can’t see his own faults .
I like Diop but imho his confidence is quite shaky at the minute after several poor games prior to the last one. I feel he is better on the right side of defence like Dawson and Zouma also, the only naturally left sided CB we have is Ogbonna the others are right centre backs that are covering, to be honest I wonder if Ben Johnson could adapt to left CB he seems a versatile player and has better defensive instincts than Diop, Zouma or Cresswell so could remain as an option if that were viable.