Danny Ings must be subbed on at HT to help West Ham United v Manchester United
West Ham were certainly weakened in attack in the recent transfer window, with both Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals leaving the club.
It leaves David Moyes light in the final third, especially with Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio currently sidelined with injury, although the Jamaica international has been spotted back at training.
The manager does, however, still have star forward Jarrod Bowen to call upon, while Mohammed Kudus has now returned from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both were handed a start for the Premier League trip to Manchester United on Sunday (4 February), with Moyes keen to leave Old Trafford with a famous away win.
West Ham need composure
But a huge first-half problem for the visitors was a lack of composure, with the Hammers having just two shots on target from their 13 shots in total [Sky Sports, 4 February].
In stark contrast, the Red Devils had three of their four shots on target, with Rasmus Hojlund giving them a 1-0 lead at the break.
One way this issue could be solved is an appearance from Danny Ings, who started the match on the bench. Ings has not shown it enough this season, but he remains a very clinical striker, having proven over the years that he knows where the back of the net is.
The former Liverpool and Southampton man has largely been overlooked by Moyes this season, and was strongly linked with a London Stadium exit last month.
The major issue with that potential change, however, is the player making way, with Moyes undoubtedly reluctant to lose Bowen and Kudus from his front line.
James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek meanwhile are equally crucial in midfield, but the man in the away dugout could go down the route of swapping out Kudus for Ings, simply due to the fact that the Ghana international will be fatigued after his recent exploits for his country.
Removing the more defensive Soucek for the more attacking Ings could also be an option, with the former having been booked in the first-half.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers are now owed an apology after an “incomprehensible” transfer development.
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