West Ham United head coach Julen Lopetegui has been dealt some really bad injury news during the international break.
Julen Lopetegui made nine signings in the summer, but it will definitely take time for all of the new West Ham players to gel together.
The West Ham head coach also got rid of much of the deadwood at the London Stadium – one of his chief remits.
Now it’s all about putting in the hard yards on the training pitch, and hopefully we’ll soon start to see results.
We all have to be patient with Lopetegui and his new signings. Good things come to those who wait and big change never happens successfully overnight.
However, some news that Lopetegui has just received really would have rocked his plans.
That said, there is something good that could come out of it.
Summer signing must step up after disastrous injury news
The two-week international break is always a real pain in the neck, not only for us fans, but Premier League football managers as well.
And we haven’t escaped the current one unscathed.
That’s because Niclas Fullkrug suffered an Achilles tendon injury during a training session with Germany out in Holland yesterday.
It has since been reported that could be unavailable for selection for weeks, possibly even months.
With Michail Antonio not set to return to East London until later this week after flying to the other side of the world with Jamaica, we are facing the very real prospect of Danny Ings having to start against Fulham.
The thought of that alone proves exactly why Fullkrug’s injury could be seen as a disastrous blow for us.
However, I believe that Lopetegui will opt to start Jarrod Bowen through the middle.
This will enable Mohammed Kudus to move out to the right wing, with Lucas Paqueta slotted in at number 10.
And then, Crsyencio Summerville can be given a proper chance in the left wing position.
Crysencio Summerville now has chance to shine for West Ham
Whilst the injury picked up by Fullkrug is an obvious blow to him and the club, it may well open the door for the young Dutchman.
The 22-year-old moved to the London Stadium from Leeds for around £20 million in the summer transfer window.
Somewhat surprisingly, Kalvin Phillips played a key role in Crysencio Summerville joining West Ham in the summer.
He has made a slow start to life at West Ham, but with Fullkrug now out injured for a while, he may well now have a big chance to shine.
With Summerville’s pace on the left, Kudus’s trickery on the right, Paqueta’s creativity and guile in the number 10 position and Bowen’s finishing ability, West Ham will be a nightmare to play against.
There is a school of thought that Bowen isn’t at his best when playing through the middle, but I think he offers us a lot more than Niclas Fullkrug or Michail Antonio do in that position.
The Fullkrug injury news has come at a really bad time for him and West Ham, but there is a silver lining, and that is the possibility that we could now get to see Summerville flourish.
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