The question on everyone’s minds right now – not just Nuno Espirito Santo’s – is who replaces Crysencio Summerville when West Ham United host Premier League challengers Manchester City on Saturday.
While Summerville’s injury is not as serious as first feared – Hammers News have been told he could be back to face former employers Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4th – there is still the small matter of a looming visit from Pep Guardiola’s charges.
West Ham United’s free-scoring winger will miss that Man City clash on Saturday, as well as the trip to Aston Villa.
Whoever is selected to take his place – most likely Adama Traore – will therefore have pretty big boots to fill.
If Summerville is out, who do YOU want to see start on the left?
West Ham United fans want Adama Traore to replace Crysencio Summerville
We at Hammers News asked our TalkingPoints users to vote on their preferred Crysencio Summerville replacement, and Traore finished top in a landslide victory.
At the time of writing, 56 per cent of you selected the £2 million January signing from Fulham ahead of an admittedly limited selection of alternatives.
“I’d play Traore on the left,” one fan writes on our Facebook page. “If he’s on it, he will tear [Man City] to pieces. Then we know we would have decent options in that position for future games.”
“Let big Adama loose!” another agrees.
“Adama on the left, 100 per cent. I feel, the more game time he gets, he will get better.”
“His time to step up and I believe that he will. He had his best game in a claret and blue shirt in the cup against Brentford.”
“It needs to be Adama, just as he has the experience. 4-3-3 formation, [with a] tight front three.”
“Adama to frustrate on the left side and make room for [Malick] Diouf to advance.”
“Traore did well, let him have a good hour against City. There’s nothing to fear from City, both Leeds and Forest got a point off them!”
“Please play ‘The Hulk’… would love to see him give [Erling] Haaland the ‘Cucurella Treatment’!”
The fixture we all dread… 😮💨
How on earth can West Ham beat City WITHOUT Summerville?
A case for El Hadji Malick Diouf against Manchester City
Traore famously fired Wolves to a 2-0 win at Man City on Nuno’s watch back in 2019; one of the best counter-attacking performances in modern Premier League history.
A few electrifying bursts against Brentford in Monday’s FA Cup tie suggests that, while his end-product will forever be a source of much frustration, that explosive pace remains.
Venezuelan youngster Keiber Lamadrid may hope for some minutes. But having played only once since arriving, and never in the Premier League, Nuno is likely to go for the far more experienced Traore. Interestingly, El Hadji Malick Diouf finished second with 16 per cent of the vote.
Diouf has the most league assists of any Hammers player this season. Pushing him forward would require Ollie Scarles or perhaps Ezra Mayers to step in at left-back.
One suspects Mateus Fernandes, with his turn of pace, electric dribbling and superb interplay, would do a fairly creditable job on the left. But a midfield shorn of his dynamism against Man City is a petrifying thought. Only four per cent of you voted for Fernandes to fill in on the flank, behind the versatile Pablo Felipe on ten per cent.
“Diouf, with Scarles at left-back,” one fan says, from a slightly different perspective. “Adama has little end product. Diouf is FAR better going forward.”
“Diouf on the left, Scarles behind him!”
The aforementioned Pablo Felipe impressed in his favoured number nine role in that Brentford clash, meanwhile. Although his wait for a first West Ham goal goes on, the energy, intelligence and aggression Pablo brought as the leader of the pack may give Nuno some food for thought going forward.
Even without Summerville, Nuno does still have options.
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