West Ham United winger Crysencio Summerville has received quite the seal of approval from former Liverpool forward Dirk Kuyt.
Summerville has been included in the Dutch squad for the 2026 World Cup despite never playing for the Netherlands at senior level.
While the winger’s form tailed off towards the end of the season, the 24-year-old enjoyed a purple patch between mid-January and early March in which he scored five goals in eight games.
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It’s been a remarkable rise over the last few months, albeit with the caveat that Summerville could not ultimately stop West Ham from being relegated.
Still, Kuyt believes he’s in line for a big role during his country’s World Cup campaign.
Kuyt backs Summerville for World Cup success
Leading Dutch media outlet De Telegraaf spoke to Kuyt about Summerville’s reasonably surprising inclusion in Ronald Koeman’s World Cup squad.
He said: “I am very happy for Cry. I still have contact with him occasionally. I think it is a good choice by Koeman. He is certainly a player who has something extra. Cry has a lot of speed and a certain erraticness in his game. Those types of players are also very difficult for the opponent.”
He added: “I think Cry will prove himself in the group and convince Koeman that if he needs something different in attack, he can always call on him. I think he is ready to fulfill such an important role for the Oranje.”
Summerville is expected to leave West Ham this summer following their relegation, but it would be a surprise to see any significant developments on his future before the World Cup.
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Still, while his long-term future almost certainly doesn’t lie in east London, Summerville having a good World Cup can only be a positive thing for West Ham.
That would theoretically raise his market value, even if West Ham have lost the luxury of negotiating from a position from strength following their relegation.
It’s difficult to imagine West Ham will be able to demand top money from potential suitors this summer given they are now a Championship team, but Summerville putting himself in the shop window on the grandest stage of them all would naturally raise his market value.
Summerville struggled for consistency at West Ham and it will be interesting to see how he takes to life on such a big stage, even if he does leave later this summer.
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