Jarrod Bowen delivers verdict on playing up front for West Ham v Man United
West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen says he gave his best on the pitch in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester United on Sunday.
The 24-year-old was asked to fill in at the point of the attack in the absence of the suspended Michail Antonio, and he did exceedingly well.
West Ham’s unbeaten 2021/22 Premier League status came to an end last week after Jesse Lingard scored a spectacular 89th-minute winner from distance.
The Hammers got a final chance to equalise but Mark Noble’s stoppage-time penalty was saved by David de Gea.
Bowen, who provided the assist for Said Benrahma’s goal, said he gave his all on the pitch.
“It’s different,” said Bowen to the club’s official website. “I had a few little tastes of it last year when Mich was injured or we played in different kind of systems.
“Anywhere that I play on the pitch, I love playing. It’s different, but I felt like I did as much as I could today up there.”
Big gamble
West Ham failed to sign a striker during the January transfer window following the departure of Sebastien Haller, and they were lucky to have Lingard who enjoyed a vein of form and rediscovered himself in a spectacular manner.
Fast forward this summer, the Hammers are still without a proper back-up striker, with David Moyes relying heavily on Michail Antonio.
In the absence of Antonio, Moyes was left with very few options but to put Bowen in there, and although he did well, the decision to not sign a striker could come back to haunt the Hammers this season.
By the time the month concludes, West Ham will have played six games in the space of 20 days, and with commitments of Europe likely to test the squad depth and mettle, Bowen could end up being used more as a striker in the coming games.
In other West Ham news, Charlie Nicholas claims David Moyes is livid after this recent Irons incident.
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