OPINION
Had you told West Ham fans earlier in the campaign that Arthur Masuaku would be their first choice left back at the end of the season they would have simply laughed at you.
The flying full back has proven to be a dangerous force going forward but defensively he has been awfully suspect, opposition forwards getting the better of him and his poor positioning time and again.
As it turned out, he managed to lift his game quite significantly as the season progressed and took a regular spot in the starting XI during the final weeks, injury problems to Aaron Cresswell only helping his cause on the left flank.
He remained even when his teammates’ injury issues were behind him, with journalist Sam Inkersole claiming in a Football.London question and answer (14:52) that the English full back has tumbled down the pecking order after being the firm first choice earlier in the campaign.
To have fallen behind Masuaku and his questionable defensive capabilities is a damning indictment for the three-cap England international and with a summer transfer window around the corner Cresswell cannot be too confident of keeping his spot in the squad – or even that he will remain in east London.
At 29-years-old he should be in and around the peak of his abilities so to have failed to usurp Masuaku is not a great sign moving forward.
There could well be a new arrival on the left hand side this summer and Cresswell currently remains as the one in the firing line. Can he change that before the summer is over?