Robinson fears West Ham are in ‘big trouble’ after injury blow
The injury blow suffered by West Ham United right back Ryan Fredericks against Manchester City on Wednesday night was devastating for the Hammers.
The former Fulham man went down against the champions, and it’s now being reported that he could miss the rest of the season.
That’s hugely worrying for the east London outfit and their survival hopes, because the depth just isn’t there at the position.
Pablo Zabaleta is the next man up, but at 35 years of age he is far from the elite defender he once was.
That’s something that former England international Paul Robinson feels is a real problem moving forward.
“Zabaleta’s not really played that much this year, I think it’s difficult when you’re at that age to come in, to dip in and out of a team rather than playing every week,” he told Football Insider.
“Fredericks’ injury is going to be a blow for West Ham but I genuinely think West Ham are in big trouble. You look at the players that they’ve got, the squad that they’ve got and the fixtures that they’ve got coming up.
“You’re looking at games now – they’ve got Liverpool up next and then Southampton, the Southampton game is a must-win game. All the wrong signs at the minute, you can tell when a team’s in trouble.”
Is Robinson right to fear for the Hammers?
He absolutely is. That’s not just down to Zabaleta replacing Fredericks, but it’s certainly one of the issues at the London Stadium.
As Robinson says, the fixtures that are coming up are immensely difficult, while he’s correct that the Saints clash is a must-win.
Teams will be targeting Zabaleta, though. The veteran Argentine simply doesn’t have the pace to live with most wingers these days.
You wonder whether David Moyes may now look to some young players to fill in every so often at the position.
In other West Ham news, a former Wales international has been ripping into the Hammers boss.