Premier League

Moyes must hand Cullen PL start

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OPINION

Danny Murphy claimed there were only five West Ham players worth keeping at the club beyond this summer and shared his admiration for 22-year-old midfielder Josh Cullen.

The BBC pundit in his column for the London Evening Standard stated that Marko Arnautovic, Mark Noble, Declan Rice, Manuel Lanzini and Cullen were the only first-team players worth keeping at the London Stadium for another season.

While the first four of the names on his list are obvious choices, it was interesting to see Murphy highlight Cullen’s talent by make a brief comment on him.

“I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Josh Cullen in midfield,” wrote Murphy in his column for the newspaper.

The pundit shared his view before the Hammers’ 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Saturday at the King Power Stadium, but his opinion is one that manager David Moyes should still act on.

The Hammers are safe from relegation, due to other results going in their favour on Saturday, after picking up three points against the Foxes and that gives Moyes an opportunity to experiment with his team before the season ends.

It’s easy to see why Cullen has caught Murphy’s eye as even though he only has nine Hammers first-team appearances to his name so far, his reputation proceeds him.

The 22-year-old midfielder’s neat passing and tendency to unleash powerful shots from distance was demonstrated when he spent the first six months of the season on loan at Championship side Bolton.

Cullen may have only featured 12 times for the The Trotters before his loan deal expires, but there was enough potential showcased for him to be sniffing around the Hammers’ first-team for opportunities.

The highly-rated midfielder has been an unused substitute in the Hammers’ last four league games and featured for a disappointing total of six minutes across the games against Chelsea and Southampton.

Including the outings against the Blues and the Saints, Cullen has only featured three times in the Premier League so far in his career, with his playing time totalling seven minutes.

This is not enough time for any player even if the footballer was Lionel Messi to impress and it’s about time the London Stadium got to see the gem of a the player that is currently hiding in their squad.

So with their Premier League status for next season guaranteed, Moyes must hand Cullen his first start in England’s top-flight as soon as possible, so everyone can see why Murphy believes he is a keeper.

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