WHZ View: Moyes must find Benrahma balance after West Ham training ground report
Said Benrahma has become something of a mercurial figure at West Ham since arriving in the summer from Brentford.
Much was expected of the tricky winger, but as of yet, supporters have not seen the best of him.
David Moyes recently revealed that he believes the Algerian is still adapting to the Premier League and cited his ball retention and decision making as elements of his game that he needs to improve.
However, a recent report from The Athletic gave further insight into the attitude of the winger and how he has been performing in training.
It is claimed that the winger has been ‘excellent in training’ and in a joint report by both Roshane Thomas and Adam Crafton, it says: “He can create things out of nothing and he will come on big time. He has a good mentality. To have him, Bowen and another striker as a front three will be really exciting.”
The prospect of Benrahma lining up alongside Jarrod Bowen and a new striker in a front three is certainly a tantalising one for supporters, but first, Moyes must find a balance between drip-feeding the Algerian into Premier League football and keeping him on the sidelines.
One complaint from supporters this season has been the lack of involvement for Benrahma, who started just two games.
If he continues to watch on from the bench during the second half of the season, it could soon become a stick to beat Moyes with and potentially harm the positive environment that currently surrounds the London Stadium.
January and February represent the perfect opportunity to see what Benrahma is truly made of.
West Ham have games against Burnley, West Brom, Crystal Palace before meetings with Aston Villa, Fulham and Sheffield United.
It is a run of winnable games and with Michail Antonio closing in on his long-awaited return to fitness, it is a period where the Hammers can go out and look to attack and impose themselves on the opposition in what that we have not seen as much in recent weeks.
With West Ham without a win in their last four, Benrahma could be the risk worth taking for Moyes to inject an added spark back into this Hammers team going forward.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes ‘very keen’ on West Ham signing Josh King in January