David Moyes predicted to ‘rely’ on exit-linked West Ham United duo Danny Ings and Maxwel Cornet
West Ham manager David Moyes will now have to rely on Maxwel Cornet and Danny Ings, according to journalist Alex Keble.
The prediction comes after the Hammers lost both Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta to injury against Bristol City in the FA Cup.
The East London club are already without attacker Mohammed Kudus, who is currently on international duty with Ghana, with Nayef Aguerd also away with Morocco.
“Moyes will have to rely on Maxwel Cornet, whose West Ham career is yet to take off, and Danny Ings, which isn’t the most comforting thought for Hammers fans with Man United and Arsenal coming up,” Keble wrote for the official Premier League website (11 January).
“West Ham will miss Kudus’ counter-attacking pace against those ‘Big Six’ sides, as well as the commanding presence of centre-back Aguerd.
“To compound West Ham’s bad luck, Aguerd’s replacement Konstantinos Mavropanos also went off with an injury against Bristol City. Angelo Ogbonna came on to replace him.”
Huge misses
West Ham are really enjoying themselves this season, with the Hammers flying high in the Premier League and in the Europa League.
And attacking trio Bowen, Kudus and Paqueta have been crucial to the success, with the trio lighting up the London Stadium.
Things haven’t, however, been as strong in the other competitions, with West Ham having been knocked out of the League Cup by Liverpool at the quarter-final stage.
And they now face an FA Cup third round replay against Bristol City after their 1-1 draw at the London Stadium on Sunday (7 January), with that tie set to take place on Tuesday (16 January).
On a positive note, the injuries to the first team players certainly provide an opportunity for the likes of Cornet and Ings to prove themselves to Moyes.
Wolves may test the resolve of West Ham this month with a move for Ings [TEAMtalk, 10 January], while the Hammers are now willing to listen to offers for Cornet [Dean Jones, 31 December].
In other West Ham news, a Fulham update has emerged in a Hammers bid to sign a new defender.