Mads Hermansen gets deserved reward for West Ham turnaround as World Cup beckons
West Ham United goalkeeper Mads Hermansen is poised to make his breakthrough for Denmark after being named in their latest squad.
Hermansen has been called up ahead of his country's World Cup qualifying second round semi-final against North Macedonia, scheduled for March 26.
The stopper is still to earn his senior cap under Brian Riemer despite playing regularly at every youth level, but with first-choice Kasper Schmeichel ruled out, this could finally change.
It would be another deserved milestone for the 25-year-old, whose impressive performance against Manchester City last time out capped off his stunning turnaround at club level.
Mads Hermansen's West Ham revival in numbers
Hermansen moved to the London Stadium in August 2025, joining from Leicester City on a five-year deal. However, he was dropped after just four games following a string of errors.
His debut against Sunderland on the opening day of the season saw him at fault for at least one goal in a 3-0 defeat, while his shaky performances led to early criticism.
Graham Potter chose to haul him out of the firing line, with Alphonse Areola replacing him as No 1. Hermansen, however, was recalled to the starting XI in early February and hasn't looked back in a run of just one defeat in six Premier League matches.
As demonstrated by the Sofascore graphic below, the Dane has made 24 saves over that period, including one stunning stop to deny Erling Haaland, which stunned Joe Cole.
Against City, Hermansen was near unbeatable, making five stops and preventing 0.86 goals.
Over that same six-game run, the Irons have shipped just eight goals, five of which came in one game - the resounding 5-2 defeat against Liverpool on February 28.
West Ham are conceding less with Hermansen between the sticks, and they are also crucally reaping the rewards of a strong run of form, with survival firmly in their own hands.
Provided the inspired Hermansen can keep up his heroics, he will be a major reason behind their success, both over the coming months and long into the future.
Why has Hermansen improved so much?
There are numerous reasons behind the goalkeeper's surprise resurgence.
First and foremost, he has regained his confidence, having seen it horribly stamped out of him after his nightmarish first spell as West Ham's number one.
He is now controlling his penalty area, particularly on set pieces, and looks to be benefiting from strength training. That much was evident in his marshalling of Haaland last time out.
Hermansen is also repaying the faith of Nuno Espirito Santo, who could have persisted with the more experienced Areola despite him making his own sloppy mistakes.
Now, he will hope to earn that elusive senior Denmark debut.