Nuno confirms Mads Hermansen decision as West Ham boss previews Burton clash

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Nuno Espirito Santo decided against showing his hand too early as West Ham United prepare to put their Premier League survival fight on pause as the FA Cup resumes with a trip to Burton Albion on Saturday lunchtime.

One suspects that, should Nuno opt to shuffle his pack, the likes of Mohamadou Kante and Keiber Lamadrid will hope to be involved. Ezra Mayers could start again, as he did in the third-round victory over Queens Park Rangers.

Adama Traore is likely to be in contention for a full West Ham United debut as well, with Nuno given the chance to rest Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and co at the Pirelli Stadium.

When asked about the former Fulham winger, who has made just three cameo appearances so far, Nuno would not confirm or deny whether there would be a place in his XI for Traore. The head coach was more forthcoming on the goalkeeper situation though.

Mads Hermansen will return to the bench, with Alphonse Areola back between the sticks.

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Nuno Espirito Santo confirms Alphonse Areola will start in Burton v West Ham United

When Hermansen featured against QPR in January, that ended a four-month wait for a first-team outing. The Dane has since reclaimed his place as the club’s number one, starting in successive matches against Burnley and Manchester United.

This means that, as Nuno sticks to tradition, Areola will be in situ away to a Burton side sitting one place above the League One drop zone.

“We haven’t decided [the line-up] yet. We still have tomorrow,” says Nuno, confirming that West Ham have lost Pablo Felipe to a potential long-term lay-off while Jean-Clair Todibo misses the final game of his suspension.

“All the players, with the exception of Pablo and JC, are available, so we will decide tomorrow.

“[But I can confirm that] Alphonse is going to play. That is the decision that we made. It is how we approach the competition normally; the goalkeeper who doesn’t play in the Premier League plays in the cup.”

Hermansen’s distribution impressed the West Ham fans against Man United in midweek. After a nightmare start to life in East London, the £18 million signing from Leicester City now appears more confident dealing with set-pieces and high crosses into his penalty area too.

Nuno excited to continue FA Cup journey at the Pirelli Stadium

Saturday’s early kick-off also offers Hermansen the opportunity to make it three clean sheets in four appearances. Benjamin Sesko’s 96th minute equaliser ruined what would have been a perfect sequence.

“The FA Cup is a good opportunity for us because good results and performances always help. This is what we want at Burton. It’s a beautiful competition,” adds Nuno, who needed an extra-time Taty Castellanos header to see off QPR in round three.

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“A lot of things have improved in terms of performance. Against Manchester United, the atmosphere at the London Stadium, our home that we want to transform, we can feel it. The players give, and the fans give back in a huge way for us.

“It’s very important that we keep delivering and the fans keep supporting us, not only at home but away also. It has to do with the players, the commitment of the players, and how they have really been putting desire into their actions.

“Now, we are going to play in the cup, the FA Cup. This is what we are focused on. Then, we will go day by day, like we normally do.

“We have to bounce back [from that Sesko heartbreaker],” admits the Portuguese. “It was a tough one to take, but there were a lot of positives. We performed really well against a very good team and showed we want to keep fighting. Now, we focus on Burton.

“The cup is always a good chance for players who have not been having too many minutes to have a chance to play and to improve.

“We will need them further ahead. But it’s an important competition that we respect. We respect Burton. We are going to try and go through and take it day by day, to see where the FA Cup leads us.”