ExWHUemployee: Arthur Masuaku is a ‘severe’ doubt for West Ham v Chelsea clash
The chances of Arthur Masuaku lining up for West Ham against Chelsea on Saturday appear extremely remote after an update by EXWHUemployee.
Masuaku, 27, missed last week’s 3-2 loss at Newcastle United with a knee complaint and that left the Irons without a recognised left-back after Aaron Cresswell was also ruled out.
The DR Congo international has only just recovered from a lengthy injury absence that saw him miss 21 games before he returned to start consecutive 3-2 wins versus Wolves and Leicester City earlier this month.
The early signs are that he would bounce back to face Chelsea on Saturday in what is a huge clash in the race for the top-four, with Irons insider ExWHUemployee tweeting on Thursday that the club “hope he would be fit.”
But events took a turn on Friday evening as he wrote on personal Twitter profile, “He is a severe doubt I think.”
Tough task for Johnson
This would be a huge blow but the return of Cresswell would soften it slightly, and there is encouraging news on that front with injury analyst Ben Dinnery tweeting that he is “getting closer” with a decision expected on Saturday regarding his availability.
But if both are indeed absent then it will likely fall upon the shoulders of 21-year-old Ben Johnson to once again deputise for the duo.
Johnson is a talent but this would be far from ideal given his lack of experience and the fact he will likely be up against stars like Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic on that side.
They have the ability to torment most defenders and Johnson’s confidence may have been dented against Newcastle.
Masuaku offers width as a natural left-footer and his dribbling skills trump Johnson and Cresswell’s by a fair distance, so our left-hand side is sure to suffer again if he is absent once more.
In other West Ham news, Irons told the price to sign ‘Sensational’ ace who tops the chart in top-5 leagues.
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