West Ham United surprisingly brought Patrice Evra back to the Premier League after his sacking by Marseille, but where does this leave Aaron Cresswell?
Say what you want about West Ham United’s decision to bring in the 36-year-old free agent Patrice Evra a matter of months after he was sacked by Marseille for aiming a kick in the direction of one of the club’s own supporters.
The fact that West Ham have taken a punt on Evra should have Aaron Cresswell looking at his own form this season and wondering where it all went wrong. It should also have Everton fans hopeful that their club does not choose the 28-year-old as Leighton Baines’ long-term successor in the summer.
Former Ipswich Town prospect Cresswell was one of the Premier League’s most highly-rated full-backs not so long ago and received an England call-up back in 2016; a reward for his impressive displays on the West Ham left.
These days, however, there is a very real chance that Cresswell could fall behind both Evra and Arthur Masuaku in the pecking order.
He has struggled for form in the last 18 months or so and has even been fielded in a back-three in recent times with Masuaku, currently banned for spitting at Wigan Athletic’s Nick Powell, establishing himself as the undisputed first-choice left-back.
And it speaks volumes about Cresswell’s recent and sudden decline in both form and popularity that Hammers fans have welcomed the addition of the veteran Evra with open arms.
Everton should keep this in mind, then, with the Toffees likely to renew their pursuit of a new left-sided defender at the end of this season. As reported by the Mail, Cresswell was one of the players under consideration, but why should they take a punt on someone the fans want replaced by a 36-year-old freebie?
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