View: David Moyes made massive error in playing West Ham star v Aston Villa
West Ham have made a great start to the Premier League season under David Moyes and sit fifth in the table with 10 matches played.
The Hammers have won their last three fixtures and will be looking to break into the top four with a win over Manchester United at the London Stadium on Saturday.
However, they will be without Michail Antonio, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury (via West Ham’s official website).
The 30-year-old has been struggling with the injury since before the international break and his absence is a large blow for the side.
After managing just 45 minutes against Aston Villa last time out, it is hard to know whether he was really fit enough to start that game. The decision will have been taken in conjunction with the player and the medical staff, but ultimately selecting Antonio from the start has to be seen as an error of judgement by Moyes.
Sebastien Haller had been improving in recent weeks and played perhaps his game of the season during their 1-0 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Not only did he score the winning goal, but he took four shots, completed three dribbles and won 12 aerial duels (via WhoScored).
The Ivory Coast man may have struggled since arriving at the club in 2019, but he remains a player of considerable pedigree and he would have been more than capable of leading the line against Dean Smith’s men.
The result of selecting Antonio from the start has seen him injured and further delayed his return to top form. This is could be a big blow going forward and Moyes was lucky that he was not made to pay against Aston Villa, who had the chances to get a least a draw from the game.
Hopefully, Moyes has learned his lesson from this entire ordeal and will err on the side of caution in the future, especially when he has a top-quality player waiting in the wings.
In other West Ham news, the three Hammers players that have improved this season