Aaron Cresswell impressed against Manchester United, however, some West Ham fans still aren’t sure whether or not the 25-year-old should keep his place in the side for the Hammers’ next Premier League game.
The left-back filled in for the suspended Arthur Masuaku on Sunday and capped off a fine performance with a brilliant free-kick to seal a 2-0 win for Manuel Pellegrini’s men.
It was Cresswell’s first Premier League appearance since the 5-0 drubbing against Manchester City on the opening weekend and the England international made more tackles than any of his defensive teammates.
However, well-known Hammers fan account, @WestHam_Central, shared their views on the left-back situation, believing Masuaku should still be first-choice despite Cresswell’s impressive display.
Twitter: I don’t think Cresswell defended well again and his crossing has got worse. The goal was a beauty but Masuaku is st… https://t.co/l2pDZwvfVR (@WestHam_Central)
The opinion got plenty of interaction from West Ham fans, with these agreeing with the statement.
Twitter: @WestHam_Central Agreed (@IronsJoes)
Twitter: @WestHam_Central I agree. He was way off the pace against wan-bassaka. Wasn’t tight enough at any point. The goal masked it. (@Gav_6717)
Meanwhile, these Hammers supporters staked their claims for Cresswell to retain his place in the side.
Twitter: @WestHam_Central Normally yes, you’d put Masuaku ahead of Cresswell
But if someone plays their best game in a long… https://t.co/GlyIfzFswV (@AzTheBaz)
Twitter: @WestHam_Central he defended well yesterday, didn’t do anything wrong (@mouncey17)
Twitter: @WestHam_Central He defended really well. (@BradHellyer1)
Twitter: @WestHam_Central Embarrassing that again we’d judge a player who’s come in without match sharpness against a young… https://t.co/lYUuhnyGdw (@AJ041987)
Read West Ham verdict
It’s a tricky one, but for us, we think Cresswell should keep his place against Bournemouth this weekend.
His solid display and fine free-kick against United will give him some much-needed confidence heading into the trip to the south coast, and with Masuaku forcing his exclusion from the side with two silly bookings against Aston Villa, we think he needs to earn his place back in the team.
If Cresswell is given the nod by Pellegrini this weekend, he could be busier in a defensive aspect, with the Cherries arguably a stronger force going forward than Manchester United at this moment in time.
