(Credit: Imago)

Richie Mills

Sat 4 April 2026 17:10, UK

Nuno Espirito Santo needs to put Crysencio Summerville‘s fitness first ahead of West Ham United‘s FA Cup clash with Leeds United.

Summerville had an underwhelming year or so at West Ham following his £25million move from Leeds in the summer of 2024.

The winger took time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League, while also having his fair share of injury issues.

However, the 24-year-old has looked like a different player in 2026, becoming West Ham’s most potent attacking weapon.

However, Summerville has been out with a calf injury since West Ham’s fifth-round FA Cup win over Brentford on 9 March. It may be tempting to bring him back for their quarter-final tie with Leeds, but the Hammers need to think about the bigger picture.

Nuno Espirito Santo coy over Crysencio Summerville’s fitness

On Friday, Nuno gave little away when asked about his squad’s injury list, with Summerville, Jean-Clair Todibo, and Lukasz Fabianski all sidelined of late.

He told reporters: “We’re assessing players from the international break. We’re trying to get [Summerville] ready as soon as possible. We are assessing day by day to see how he improves.

“If he feels good, we are not at that point yet. There is still one day to go and then we take decisions.”

With Summerville in the team, they have a nimble, electric, and unpredictable winger, who can run defences ragged.

A return of seven goals and four assists in 27 games in all competitions is handy for a side sitting 18th in the Premier League table.

West Ham Zone has predicted that Nuno will take the risk and start Summerville against Leeds as they bid to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

But the main objective for West Ham is to stay in the Premier League this season. Therefore, Nuno should back his other players to get the job done against Leeds, rather than risking Summerville – who is clearly not 100 per cent fit.

FA Cup vs Premier League

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the winner of the FA Cup will scoop up just £2.1m in prize money, up £120,000 compared to the 2024-25 season.

In contrast, staying in the Premier League guarantees you tens of millions of pounds every year, if not more.

And while an FA Cup run would live long in the memory, for now, staying up has to be their number one priority.

This is because in late February, West Ham revealed losses of £104m for the 2024-25 season.

To make matters worse, the Hammers said they will need to sell players even if they stay up. The likes of Summerville and captain Jarrod Bowen could be top of that list.

Ergo, it may not be prudent to risk the former getting an injury and missing their Premier League run-in, especially as they are one point behind 17th-placed Tottenham with seven games to go.