West Ham star will cost Nuno Espirito Santo his job if he persists with him, he can’t ignore the signs
Nuno Espirito Santo is already facing a major fight to keep his job at West Ham.
The Portuguese boss only stepped into the dugout at the London Stadium at the end of September, but he is already facing heavy scrutiny regarding his position.
West Ham are rooted inside the Premier League relegation zone after their 2-1 defeat away at Leeds United on Friday night, a game which is likely to be a crucial ‘six-pointer’ come the end of the season.
David Sullivan may already be considering the new boss’ position in E20, and with that in mind, Nuno simply cannot persist with this star in his starting XI for any longer.
Andy Irving must be dropped if Nuno is to save his job
It has already been suggested that West Ham could pull the trigger on Nuno in the coming weeks, as there have been no signs of any improvement in the early stages of his reign.
The Hammers are sleepwalking towards an impending relegation to the Championship, and the club hierarchy will be keen to avoid that fate by any means possible in the coming months.
With that in mind, Nuno must start taking drastic action if he is to preserve his job and avoid an embarrassing early dismissal, and that will surely mean dropping Andy Irving from the XI.
The Scottish midfielder has started the last two league games for the struggling East Londoners, and in Friday night’s defeat in West Yorkshire, he was part of a midfield that was completely overrun by their energetic hosts.
| Stats | Irving Total |
| Touches | 46 |
| Accurate Passes | 36/40 (90%) |
| Defensive Actions | 2 |
| Duels Won | 1/5 (20%) |
| Possession Lost | 7 |
The 25-year-old played alongside Tomas Soucek in the middle of the park, but is so woefully inequipped for Premier League football that he was of little use to his side throughout his 64 minutes of action.
He won just 20 per cent of his duels and struggled to progress the ball with any sort of intensity or purpose.
The signs have been there for some time to suggest that Irving is simply not a top-flight player, and if Nuno continues to persist with him in the spine of his team, then he will continue to get the same damning results.
- Read More: Andy Irving’s days are numbered at West Ham as contract development emerges at Rush Green
Nuno has to backtrack on James Ward-Prowse decision
James Ward-Prowse has been cut adrift at West Ham in recent weeks, as Nuno’s issues with the 30-year-old have continued after their time together at Nottingham Forest last season.
The former Reds boss cut the playmaker’s stay at the City Ground short last term, and it’s clear that there is a serious problem between the two of them.
However, Nuno’s current situation calls for drastic measures, and he may have to swallow his pride and get Ward-Prowse back into the fold in order to try and turn the ship around.
He is desperately lacking viable options at the base of the midfield, and the ex-Southampton star is at the very least somebody whose attitude will be right for a relegation dogfight.
It may not be a decision that the 51-year-old wants to take, but it will surely be worth it if it helps to quash some of the talk surrounding his position.
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