David Moyes believes Alphonse Areola produced his finest performance in a West Ham United shirt during Wednesday’s Carabao Cup victory over Manchester City, as he told the club’s official website.
The sample size may be small, but that should not diminish what was a fine display from a man who is yet to concede a goal in West Ham colours.
Areola provided a steady last line of defence as the high-flying London giants brought an end to Manchester City’s half-decade of Carabao Cup dominance in midweek, denying the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones with a series of impressive reflex saves.
But will the Paris Saint-Germain loanee be rewarded for his efforts with a maiden Premier League appearance during Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa?
With Lukasz Fabianski proving that there is plenty of life left in the old dog during the 1-0 derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur last time out, it seems that Areola has little choice but to bide his time with two top-quality shot-stoppers at Moyes’ disposal.
When will Alphonse Areola start a Premier League game for West Ham?
“(Areola) keeps Lukasz on his toes and I’ve got someone in good form ready to play. Areola’s got good experience with Fulham, and I thought the other night was his best game for us,” said the Scot, whose side moved into the Champions League places last time out.
“He certainly helped us get through to the next round.”
Speaking at his pre-game press conference, Moyes added that Vladimir Coufal could return to the starting XI after a recent injury-enforced absence while Alex Kral, who is still awaiting his Premier League debut, will soon be back in contention following a period of self-isolation.
The Spartak Moscow loanee has made just one appearance for the Hammers so far and admitted recently that he needs time to adapt to the ‘intense’ nature of English football.
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