Angelo Ogbonna has admitted that he has had to be patient for his chance to return to action, but is delighted with how things have gone over the Christmas period.

West Ham have recorded 3 wins and a draw in the last 4 games over the festive schedule, and incredibly haven’t conceded a goal in any of those games – which were against Wolves, Manchester United, Arsenal and Brighton.

It was certainly no easy task but David Moyes’ side rose to the challenge, which has resulted in our Hammers sitting in the top 6 as we enter 2024 and the 2nd half of a so far very positive season.

“I’ve had to wait for my chance and I like to talk about the team, not myself,” the Italian told the clubs Official Website. “As long as I can come in and help the team, then I’ll try to do that and be happy with that.

“I hope I can bring my experience when needed and we were able to get a good result against Brighton. It’s four clean-sheets in a row and the guys did very well in a huge game.”

The veteran centre back wanted to focus on the year ahead, stating that the team are taking on game at a time – with a growing sense that West Ham are ready to challenge again for European football in east London next season.

“For us, we want to do even better in 2024,” added Ogbonna. “Everything comes from performances and playing well. It’s important to be grounded and make things happen.

“We take things step by step. We’re obliviously missing a couple of players at the moment and it’s important to keep going with good performances. We’ll keep trying to do that.”