OPINION
It looks like West Ham United cult hero Robert Snodgrass’ place in the starting XI is under serious threat at the moment.
January signing Samir Nasri has continued to prove his doubters wrong with some excellent performances recently, which means that Manuel Pellegrini has dropped the Scot, who is heralded by the supporters for his hard work and talent, on numerous occasions.
Snodgrass may be sweating about his first team spot being in serious trouble, but that should be of no concern to Nasri, as he is proving undroppable with his display of skill and unwavering ability.
You would never had guessed that he was a player who had been out of action for around a year and only starting playing on the pitch again in recent weeks – in fact, he has been the Nasri of old, the Nasri we saw striker fear into defences while playing for Manchester City and Arsenal.
He may have been taken off at the hour mark in the 2-0 loss to Bournemouth last weekend, but Pellegrini must continue to persevere with Nasri if he wants to get the absolute best out of him.
Yes, he did show glimpses of the Nasri of old in recent weeks – most notably against the Gunners – but this is no doubt touching on the edge of what the Frenchman is actually capable of.
He is starting to prove he is undroppable for Pellegrini, but he must cement that idea in the manager’s mind by continuing to improve – and keep the likes of Snodgrass out of the team.
The 31-year-old has definitely been the surprise package so far despite some willing him to fail, and now he is proving he is a vital asset to the team in their push for a top ten finish in the Premier League after a series of magnificent displays.
Snodgrass’ palms may be getting sweaty at the thought of Nasri potentially taking his place in the starting line-up, and rightly so – as the ability that the playmaker is starting to show is making Nasri undroppable for West Ham.
