West Ham’s out of contract player departures ahead of the summer made serious dents to an established back line. Both left and right-sided full backs Aaron Cresswell and Vlad Coufal have left the club. Sadly the same cannot be said for accident-prone Konstantinos Mavropanos but we live in hope. The Hammers travel stateside to take on a sterner test than that offered by Swiss side Grasshoppers: Manchester United await in the first summer friendly on Saturday night.
West Ham’s new-look back line will include £20 million signing El Hadji-Malick Diouff who has impressed in his 45 minute first outing, and at some stage, free signing Kyle Walker-Peters who, along with Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be shoe-horned somehow into a right-sided defence. Nayef Aguerd – now returned and apparently here for ‘the duration’ completes the defensive options which Potter can deploy along with Jean Clair Todibo and Max Kilman.
So it could be a very different-looking West Ham with three plus two wing backs that takes on Manchester United.
Who in turn, have brought their new big guns out to the USA with them. Compared with West Ham’s total spend of £20 million so far, Man U’s €150 million spend on just two players looks like a David versus Goliath encounter: According to sportbible.com,
“United named a 32-man squad for the US tour, with new signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon all included. As expected, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho all remain unwanted and will be left behind to train by themselves”
Thirty two? West Ham don’t even have thirty two senior players. Maybe Twenty two. There is no way Manchester United can be as inept as they were last season even though Manager Ruben Amorim hasn’t had long to lick his new players in to shape. So it’ll be one to watch from behind the sofa, I fear.
But, then again – a five nil drubbing in each of the three friendlies might convince the West Ham board to get their cheque books out to support the manager! Now I’m conflicted.
Come on you Irons. I think.