David Moyes should throw a curveball against Brentford at the London Stadium tonight, and start exceptional West Ham 21-year-old.
The Hammers absolutely have to win against the Bees tonight, if we are to get our season back on track.
And in order to do that, Moyes needs to make sweeping changes to his starting lineup in my opinion.
One particular area of concern is in the right-back position, with Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson having regressed badly over the past 12 months.
Moyes hasn’t yet been able to strengthen at right-back, with the January transfer window not yet open, but he does have another option to use there – Harrison Ashby.
The 21-year-old starlet has been heavily linked with a January move to Newcastle. However, he is still under contract at the London Stadium until the summer of 2023, so Moyes does have an outside chance of keeping him at the club.
In order to do that though, he needs to prove to Ashby that he will be given chances to play regularly, and there’s no time like the present…
David Moyes should throw a curveball against Brentford
If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
And with that in mind, Harrison Ashby absolutely has to come into the team at right-back tonight.
Coufal has become a liability, and if he starts again tonight, there is only one way the game will end in my opinion. Ashby is by far the better option, and Moyes should throw a curveball by starting the youngster against Brentford.
Described as an ‘excellent’ player by Football.London, the 21-year-old is a better defender than Coufal, and he’s far better going forward as well.
Ashby is quick, possesses exceptional technical ability and has one heck of a delivery in his locker. On top of all of that, the Scotland under-21 International is physically strong as well, having worked hard to improve his physique during the off-season.
He will undoubtedly go on to become an elite right-back, if his attitude and application to work is spot on of course.
Losing Ashby to Newcastle would be a massive blow for the Hammers.
So starting him against Brentford tonight may well give the youngster the belief that he has a future at West Ham. Doing so will also give us a strong chance of beating Brentford in my opinion.
David Moyes should throw a curveball against Brentford by replacing Coufal with Ashby. Otherwise, it could be a long, long night in East London.
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