How important will this returning star prove for West Ham’s season?

The 2015/16 campaign has certainly begun in rather promising style for Slaven Bilic and his new look West Ham outfit. After finally moving on from the days of Sam Allardyce among the Upton Park dug-out, the Hammers are now playing some great stuff courtesy of their new Croatian tactician – and the fans quite rightly seem to be loving it.

Yet when the Boleyn Ground faithful were hit with the recent injury news surrounding both Enner Valencia and star man, Dimitri Payet, not so long ago – it seemed as if the undoubted positivity surrounding Bilic’s side among the English top-flight, had all of a sudden come to an abrupt halt. The team will simply have to be reshaped somewhat now, without the mercurial Payet on board.

However, now that Alex Song is just about on the verge of returning to the first team fold for the Hammers this season – after a long-term spell spent injured out on the side-lines – maybe the good times could well continue down at Upton Park in 2015/16 for a good while yet to come…

So, just how important will Song’s impending return prove for West Ham as they look to continue the current campaign under a similarly entertaining light?

Well, even though the 28-year-old has admittedly missed out on a vast amount of game time so far this term, any team coming up against a fully fit Alex Song would be wise to consider the threat that he still poses. Although the current Barcelona-loanee failed to establish himself as a first team regular at the Nou Camp a few short seasons ago, the current Hammers man remains a firm favourite down at Upton Park.

For all his impressive exploits out on the pitch last season, this is a player nearly every single West Ham fan wanted to see back in the east end for the 2015/16 campaign. The Cameroonian midfield enforcer played an instrumental role in helping West Ham play some great football for the first half of last season – finding the likes of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho time and time again inside the final third, as well as building a progressive relationship with Stewart Downing in the middle of the park.

It therefore remains a massive shame that Song won’t be making his much anticipated return alongside Dimitri Payet in the heart of West Ham’s spine, but such a frustrating outcome is often the way within the world of top-flight Premier League football. Via his impressive brand on long-range passing, undoubted technical prowess with the ball at his feet, and ability to dictate matches on a more than frequent basis – Bilic’s side will undoubtedly look stronger with the former Emirates favourite back on board.

Yes, it’s certainly going to take a while for the midfielder to return to full match fitness, and it remains true that Song did in-fact give possession away rather unnecessarily on occasion last term – but is this still a player most Premier League sides would love to call their own? Of course he is.

However, Alex Song’s upcoming return nonetheless causes a few selection dilemmas for the new Hammers boss to consider this term. So far in 2015/16, both Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble have singled themselves out as first team starters in those holding midfield roles for Bilic – but unless the enigmatic Croatian manager wants to bring another deep-lying midfielder into his chosen starting XI this season – someone may simply have to be sacrificed to the bench in order for Alex Song to slot back in successfully.

Either way, difficult decision making has become a necessary aspect of the modern game for top-flight managers across the European scene. Slaven Bilic will likely adjust his first team plans accordingly now that Payet has gone out injured and Song will soon be enough fit to drop back in. With the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Victor Moses, Michail Antonio, Mauro Zarate – and not forgetting a certain Andy Carroll of course – each looking to keep themselves in their manager’s good books for 2015/16, the current Hammers manager has evidently had plenty on his plate to deal with all season.

So then, although the loss of both Enner Valencia and Dimitri Payet in particular will prove especially tough for West Ham fans to cope with right now, at least a player of Alex Song’s potential world class quality will be back amongst the action sooner rather than later. He could easily prove the man to help restore some much needed positivity in and around Upton Park this month, after painfully losing their undoubted star player for up to three months.

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