By Anthony Onifade

25th Mar, 2023 | 8:10pm

Maxwel Cornet can be David Moyes' secret weapon in West Ham United scrap for survival

West Ham United forward Maxwel Cornet could well prove to be David Moyes’ much-needed secret weapon in their push for Premier League survival.

The Ivorian winger, signed for £17.5m last summer, had his first taste of Premier League action in the Hammers’ 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on 12 March having been out of action since 1 October after suffering a calf injury against Wolves.

Cornet took to his personal Instagram account last month to reveal his return to training with the West Ham squad and featured for the Under-21s on 3 March to regain his fitness.

West Ham have desperately struggled for consistency domestically this season, currently sitting in the relegation zone just a point from the bottom of the table with just 12 games to go.

Injuries to key players such as Nayef Aguerd, Michail Antonio, Lukasz Fabianski, Kurt Zouma, Danny Ings and indeed Cornet throughout various stages of the season have prevented the Hammers from finding their form in the Premier League.

And Moyes will certainly be boosted by the full return of Cornet to his squad, with the Ivorian international possessing all the capabilities needed to be a crucial match-winner for the club in their upcoming run of games.

Cornet has been something of a forgotten man at the club but is indeed blessed with such purring offensive quality and class, which he so excellently showcased during his short spell at a struggling Burnley side last term as he hit an impressive nine goals and one assist from 26 Premier League games.

Possessing searing pace, excellent trickery and a unique weapon in scoring goals as well as creating them he can be a pure match to Moyes’ transitional philosophy at the London Stadium. Cornet adds a whole new dimension to the attack, with the likes of Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen both struggling for consistency in recent weeks.

If the East Londoners can get the former Clarets man back to the sort of form he showed at Turf Moor last season, then they could well possess the secret weapon that none of their relegation rivals down the bottom could come even close to matching in their quest for survival.

It’s massively important Moyes uses all the quality at his disposal for the remainder of the season, and Cornet is arguably amongst the best of the lot at West Ham United as he looks to make up for lost time.