A poignant moment at the final whistle after West Ham’s defeat to Arsenal shows Ryan Fredericks knows the end has come.
West Ham fans were excited by the signing of Fredericks from Fulham back in 2018 given his electric pace.
But in the near four years since, the right-back has failed to ever make the position his own.
There has been the odd standout performance here and there from Fredericks.
But West Ham have shown no inclination to want to renew the full-back’s contract and he is set to leave when his contract expires in the summer.
Things looked like they might change for Fredericks when he enjoyed an excellent but brief performance against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup earlier this season.
He used his pace to cut down the right and set up Manuel Lanzini for the only goal of the game at Old Trafford.
But Fredericks was injured in the process and – as has often been the case during his time at West Ham – had a spell out of the side.
The pacy right-back is far too ponderous on the ball to be a top level player and often appears extremely nervous during games. That does not make for a great combination.
David Moyes spotted it very early on and first promoted youngsters Jeremy Ngakia and Ben Johnson before signing Vladimir Coufal.
The 29-year-old has made just a handful of starts across all competitions this season.
And the former Fulham man got a rare one on Sunday in the defeat to Arsenal.
With Ben Johnson injured and Craig Dawson suspended, Aaron Cresswell was used at centre-back with Fredericks playing at left-back.
He gave his all but struggled throughout in what is almost certainly going to be his last appearance in front of a West Ham home crowd – if not his final ever for the Hammers as the clock ticks down on the season.
And there was a poignant moment at the final whistle after West Ham’s defeat to Arsenal which shows Fredericks knows the end has come.
Poignant moment at final whistle after West Ham defeat to Arsenal shows Ryan Fredericks knows end has come
The defender sank to one knee and stared down at the turf.
He stayed fixed in the pose for a long while. It was more than just disappointment at the loss.
This was a player who admitted recently he has loved every minute of being a West Ham player (whufc.com).
It is in east London that Fredericks has made a close friend for life in Declan Rice.
Fredericks looked down at the pitch, clearly taking a moment to acknowledge it would more than likely be his last action in front of West Ham’s London Stadium crowd.
And as he did it was hard not to feel somewhat sorry for him.
Every time it has looked like the penny might have dropped for Fredericks at the top level, injuries have derailed his hopes and chances.
By all accounts he is a well-liked member of the squad and has always very much been a team player when not featuring.
If indeed this was the last we see of Fredericks we can only wish him all the best in his summer move.
He would make a great signing for an ambitious Championship side or perhaps even one of the newly-promoted clubs like his old team Fulham.
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