A £24m West Ham star David Moyes loves simply must improve his finishing to continue to justify his starting spot.
Left-midfield is proving to be one of the most fiercely contested positions at West Ham this season.
Moyes signed Maxwel Cornet from Burnley for £17.5m in the summer.
And – when fit – it appears to be between him, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals for a place in West Ham’s starting XI on that side.
Fornals has established himself as a fundamental player at West Ham under Moyes.
The midfield ace is loved by West Ham fans and his manager for his infectious attitude, workrate and of course his ability.
Like many of his teammates until now, Fornals has not quite hit his usual high standards so far this season.
The Cockney Carzola was particularly poor in West Ham’s defeat to Everton before the international break.
And he paid the price in the next game against Wolves when he was left out in favour of Cornet.
£24m West Ham star David Moyes loves simply must improve his finishing to justify starting spot
Ironically Fornals was called upon after just 34 minutes when Cornet was forced off through injury.
But many feel Benrahma is more deserving of a starting place at the moment, particularly after an impressive display in Europe in midweek.
Nobody can doubt Fornals’ quality on the ball or commitment to the cause.
But the £24m West Ham star Moyes loves simply must improve his finishing to justify a starting spot.
Fornals has scored just 17 goals in 145 West Ham appearances.
But it should be more than double that figure given the number of golden chances the midfielder squanders.
There are times when Fornals is unlucky, hitting the post and crossbar more than any other Hammers player as fans who watch the popular West Ham Clips highlights will know only too well.
The 26-year-old often finds himself inside the box or just on the edge of the area with time and space to shoot.
But his efforts all too often lack quality and he mishits or scuffs his shots straight at the goalkeeper or wide.
He sometimes takes too long to pull the trigger too, allowing defenders to get a block in.
With Benrahma and Cornet applying real pressure for a starting spot, Fornals simply must improve his finishing to justify his place in the first XI.
That is the nature of increased competition. And West Ham should feel the benefit.
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