Pellegrini must keep the faith with Fredericks despite torrid debut

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Ryan Fredericks improved vastly over the course of the 2017/18 season in the Championship with Fulham, but endured a torrid Premier League debut for West Ham in Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool.

The Englishman’s flying runs were a key part of the Cottagers’ promotion to the top flight but he has never been the best defender and Sadio Mane exposed his frailties at Anfield, netting twice to top off a spectacular performance.

That shows that former Spurs man Fredericks still has plenty of improving to do in order to be a reliable Premier League performer, but Manuel Pellegrini must resist any urge to bring in Pablo Zabaleta for Saturday’s match against Bournemouth.

Of course, it must be tempting for Pellegrini to reach for the experience of a player he knows so well from their time together at Manchester City.

But Fredericks is only going to get better with the faith of his manager and gametime in order to learn the lessons and adjust his game to the demands of the Premier League.

On top of that, Fredericks is surely the man that Pellegrini is looking at to become the Hammers’ long-term right-back solution; Zabaleta has had a great career but he does not represent any more than a short-term fix.

With that in mind, Pellegrini must show faith in the man he was able to procure for free this summer and underline his belief that Fredericks can cut it at this level.

Pulling him out of the team on the back of just one bad game would surely also have a detrimental impact on Fredericks’ confidence.

It is the Englishman who has the pace and dynamism needed in Pellegrini’s new-look adventurous team and Pellegrini has acknowledged the importance of having a mobile, athletic defence behind his heavy-pressing side by bringing in Fredericks, and fellow new-boys Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena at the back.

That all means that Pellegrini must stick with Fredericks against Bournemouth and for a number of weeks, to let him find his feet in the top flight. There is no need for hasty decisions on the back of one – admittedly poor – game.