Pablo Fornals may have just paved the way for Said Benrahma to finally win a place in the West Ham United team.
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Fornals is a real favourite of Hammers boss David Moyes.
And with good reason too.
The Spaniard has been excellent on the whole over the last year or so. He works his sock off for West Ham and started to marry that graft with assists and goals.
Fornals paves way for Benrahma with one of his worst performances for West Ham
But while Fornals continues to work hard things have dried up of late in an attacking sense.
There is scope for Fornals AND Benrahma to feature in the same West Ham team of course.
If Moyes switches to a 442 and drops Arthur Masuaku – who has also failed to live up to his own recent high standards – then Benrahma can play on the left and Fornals in his more natural central midfield position in front of Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice.
But the 25-year-old was os frustratingly wasteful against Manchester United that it will surely cost him his place in the West Ham side.
Wasteful in front of goal and in possession
Several players were guilty of missing good chances as West Ham lost 3-1 to the Red Devils after taking the lead.
West Ham should have been out of sight by half-time.
Fornals missed a huge chance when he headed a brilliant Jarrod Bowen cross into the side netting with half the goal gaping.
It was not the first time Fornals has been wasteful in front of goal this season.
He also frustrated with his all round performance, giving the ball away far too often.
Benrahma looks sharp and ready to start
Fornals’s loose passing contributed to Man United’s first – although the ball clearly went out of play when Dean Henderson whacked the ball up the pitch.
His passing all game was off. So it is no surprise that his pass success percentage was the worst it has been in a single game since signing for the club for £24million with a poor 62.5% (WhoScored.com).
Moyes actually mentioned the poor pass in his post match interview.
And that may give an insight into the fate of Fornals for the next game at Leeds.
Perhaps a spell out of the side will do the former Villareal man some good.
Benrahma looks sharp and fresh. West Ham fans have been calling for him to be given his head.
They will almost certainly now get their wish against Leeds, one of several clubs West Ham reportedly beat in the race to sign the Algerian.
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