OPINION
The door is ajar for West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku to kick open to secure his future at the London Stadium as Aaron Cresswell was woeful against Cardiff City.
There has previously been talk about the 25-year-old being potentially on the chopping block in the summer and it’s fair to say that it was understandable speculation as Masuaku lost his place as a guaranteed starter.
Greek outlet Sport 24 claimed in January that the left-back was likely to leave in the summer with Claret & Hugh going on to report in February that the Hammers will consider any offers in the region of £10million for him.
Yet it seems Masuaku could easily silence the reported exit talk as Manuel Pellegrini will surely hand him an opportunity to impress after Cresswell was awful on Saturday.
Masuaku has only completed 90 minutes on one occasion out of the Hammers’ last eleven league games but surely he may play a full game against Huddersfield Town next Saturday.
This is because in the disappointing 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City, Cresswell offered nothing going forward and had a nightmare when it came to his defensive duties.
The English left-back completely lost Junior Hoilett in the opening minutes of the match and this mistake ending up leading to Cardiff going 1-0 up and not looking back.
While one performance isn’t enough for Pellegrini to make Masuaku his first-choice left-back once again, it does surely mean there is an opportunity for him to stake his claim.
The 25-year-old has previously disappointed in the majority of his 22 outings this season, but he has also shown signs that he is capable and is a talented player.
If Masuaku can be at his best when being handed a chance in the coming weeks then surely he can leapfrog Cresswell in the pecking order and silence any suggestion he should pack his bags.