Konstantinos Mavropanos’ involvement with Greece provides another reminder of his growing importance for club and country, but West Ham United will also have to manage his workload carefully during the international period.
The 28-year-old appears in Greece’s current squad listings ahead of their opening UEFA Nations League fixtures, with Ivan Jovanović’s side preparing for their first campaign in League A.
That recognition comes during an excellent start to the season for Mavropanos.
The centre-back has started all six of his Championship appearances for West Ham and has already scored three league goals, making him the club’s second-highest scorer in the competition.
His importance to Nuno Espírito Santo makes Greece’s demanding international schedule particularly relevant.
Mavropanos faces demanding Greece Nations League schedule
Greece have been drawn alongside Germany, the Netherlands and Serbia in Nations League Group A2.
Their campaign begins away to Serbia on 24 September before another difficult trip to Germany three days later.
Jovanović’s side then host the Netherlands on 1 October and Germany on 4 October, meaning Greece are scheduled to play four competitive internationals across just 11 days.
Mavropanos has been an established member of the national setup.
He started all four of Greece’s World Cup qualifying appearances in which he featured earlier this year and accumulated 360 minutes in that competition.
If he remains similarly important during the Nations League window, the defender could accumulate another significant block of minutes before returning to East London.
West Ham handed useful recovery window
The schedule is not entirely bad news for Nuno.
West Ham face Millwall at The Den on Saturday before the international programme begins.
The Hammers then do not return to Championship action until QPR visit London Stadium on Friday 9 October. West Ham’s official fixture information confirms the QPR match kicks off at 8pm BST.
That leaves Mavropanos with several days between Greece’s final scheduled October fixture and West Ham’s league return.
It significantly reduces the danger of the defender being asked to play for his country and immediately return to Championship football.
Before he departs, Mavropanos is expected to remain central to Nuno’s plans at The Den, with Read West Ham retaining him in our predicted West Ham XI to face Millwall.
That makes Saturday another important fixture before attention shifts towards international duty.
Mavropanos form makes fitness increasingly important
Managing the centre-back matters because of how influential he has become.
Mavropanos has played 520 Championship minutes this season and has already equalled the three Premier League goals he scored across the entirety of last campaign.
He also scored during the 6-0 victory over Wrexham, extending an impressive attacking contribution from defence.
The Hammers’ promotion challenge will require consistency across a demanding Championship season, making the availability of established starters especially important.
Read West Ham has already examined the squad-depth questions facing Nuno after the Fulham defeat, and international periods add another element to that equation.
Representing Greece at the highest level of the Nations League is a positive reflection of Mavropanos’ standing.
West Ham will simply hope he returns from a demanding international programme fit and ready to continue one of the strongest starts of his Hammers career.
