Westley: Youngster is man to fill Fredericks’ boots
With West Ham United’s starting right back Ryan Fredericks ruled out until next month, somebody is going to need to step up to the plate.
The natural assumption would be that veteran Pablo Zabaleta will fill in till the former Fulham man returns.
Indeed, the Argentine is the man who replaced Fredericks after he suffered the setback against Gillingham last weekend.
However, former Hammers academy chief feels that youngster Ben Johnson is the player to step in until February.
“He will be challenging for the Number One slot – he is 6ft 1in and comfortable defending or going forward,” he told Claret & Hugh.
“David [Moyes] has the man for the job. He’s a great prospect and can save the club a lot of money.”
West Ham Zone’s View
Surely now is the time to give Johnson a real run of games. He was excellent when he started against Manchester City last February, while he had a tremendous pre season last summer as well.
Yes, he’s young and inexperienced, but he’s impressed whenever he’s had the chance and is highly-rated in east London, as Westley’s testament shows.
Zabaleta is way past his best and is a liability against any winger with even a modicum of pace. Westley’s right, Johnson could save Moyes a lot of cash.
In other West Ham news, Moyes has provided a positive update on a pair of potential Hammers transfers.