By Conor Hogan

The last few months have been a torturous experience for West Ham, but one player started to shine during all the troubles.

Before the recent wins the Hammers have strung together, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side were winless in 11 and relegation appeared inevitable.

Although the Hammers are still five points off 17th-place Nottingham Forest, there is a much more positive atmosphere at London Stadium following recent wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.

New signings Taty Catellanos and Pablo have significantly improved the Irons, with Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen also hitting form at a crucial stage of the season.

However, one player that has been consistently impressive over the last few months has been Jean-Clair Todibo.

The French centre-back endured a dreadful start to the season, with horrendous displays that even saw some fans label him the worst West Ham centre-back of all time – when it came to value for money at least.

But that has all changed since the Irons’ 3-1 win over Newcastle in November. It was Nuno’s first win as Hammers boss, and although Lucas Paquetá and Tomáš Souček grabbed the headlines with their goals, Todibo’s performance was key to the victory.

In fact, the 26-year-old’s displays have played a key part in most of the games where the Hammers have earned points this season. He was particularly impressive in West Ham’s draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford and the Irons’ win against Spurs in North London.

The Frenchman has always proved effective in one-on-ones, but so many other aspects of his game have improved under Nuno. He has much more of an aerial presence, his tracking of attackers is now excellent and his positional play has also improved.

Another impressive feature of the centre-back’s game is his composure on the ball. When he wins the ball back in his own third, he doesn’t just pump it long – he turns past an opposition attacker, before getting his head up and picking a pass.

Although Todibo has always been a skillful footballer during his time in East London, he appears much more composed at the back now, allowing the technical side of his game to flourish.

Considering how shaky the pair were last season, the defensive duo of Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos has proven generally solid for Nuno’s side over the course of the current campaign.

However, a clean sheet still eludes West Ham under Nuno. But if Todibo continues to keep up this form, it surely can’t be long before the Hammers keep one.