West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho is pleased to have picked up the Barclays Premier League Player of the Month award for October.
The 24-year-old, who signed for the Hammers from French Ligue 2 club Metz in the summer, has quickly adapted to life at the Boleyn Ground where his six goals in his first six league starts has seen him match Micky Quinn’s record, set in 1992.
“It’s an award that’s not just for me- it’s for the whole club,” Sakho, speaking on Chadwell Chatter blog on his club’s website, said .
“There isn’t really a secret as to how I’ve settled in. I’ve worked hard here and I worked hard at my previous club, Metz.
“Of course I’m very happy to be part of the history of this club, by scoring in six consecutive Premier League games. Scoring goals is very important but the main thing is for the club to reach its objectives.”
Sakho is in line for his return to West Ham squad for Saturday’s league meeting with Aston Villa having been forced to miss last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Stoke through a shoulder injury he suffered in his last appearance at home to champions Manchester City.
“I’m ready to return on Saturday. I’ve been ready since Monday and of course the final decision is down to the manager whether I start the game or not, but I’m ready to help the team again,” he said.
The news is definitely a welcomed development for manager Sam Allardyce, who on his own part has won the Manager of the Month award. It is the sixth time the former Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United coach is claiming the monthly managerial honour.
The Upton Park outfit won all four of their fixtures in October, including the 2-1 home win over City.
Sakho , who has scored a total of seven goals in all competitions for West Ham, is also delighted about his recall to the Senegal squad for this month’s decisive Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers away to Egypt (Nov. 15) and home to Botswana (Nov. 19).
Senegal are second in Group G on seven points and trail leaders Tunisia by three points but one point ahead of Egypt, while Botswana are pointless.
“I was delighted to be named in the Senegal squad for their games next week. For all the Senegalese people the dream is to win against Egypt and we will do our best to achieve qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations and return smile to our people,” Sakho promised.
The top two teams in each qualification pool advance to next year’s finals in Morocco.
