Niclas Fullkrug set to get big West Ham opportunity v Bournemouth
West Ham United haven’t had the best of times when it comes to choosing the person to lead their attacking line over the last few seasons.
The Irons’ number nine role has more often than not been a thorn in their side, with Danny Ings the latest to fail to live up to expectations.
Of course, countless players have been brought in to try and break their striker curse but even with the addition of Niclas Fullkrug in the summer, things haven’t gone to plan.
However, that could all be set to change now that the German is fit and ready to fight for his place in the team, especially now that he’s getting chosen for the matchday squad.
This means that things could change dramatically, especially if Julen Lopetegui starts the striker against Bournemouth on Monday (16 December) – just like Ally McCoist and Harry Redknapp think he should.
“If it’s not Danny Ings I’d like to see the big lad Fullkrug, if he’s fit, get a run,” McCoist said live on talkSPORT (16 December, 09:43am).
Redknapp replied: “Yeah, the big centre-forward who came in, he’s not been fit really, that’s the problem. He came in, picked up an injury, so we’ll still have to wait and see.”
Niclas Fullkrug could be the man to turn things around at West Ham
Since Lopetegui took over from David Moyes as manager, his role with the Hammers has been under severe scrutiny due to their underperformance across all competitions.
West Ham currently sit 14th in the Premier League and, while they may not be directly involved in the relegation battle, if things don’t turn around soon they could be left rather red-faced by the end of the term.
Fullkrug’s return has been something that has been highly anticipated by fans for some time now, especially now that Antonio is out for the foreseeable future.
If the Hammers want to make their way out of the bottom half of the table and perhaps turn the burners on for a late European charge, now would be the time for them to do it.
Of course, the performances of Fullkrug still have a lot of questions that need to be asked, but if he can play anywhere near to the level he showed at Borussia Dortmund last season, he could well become a hero for the fans.
In other West Ham news, one ace is surely sweating over his future as a January replacement has been eyed.
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