OPINION
West Ham defender Pablo Zabaleta has struggled for form as of late and surely that should see Ryan Fredericks handed an opportunity to play against Everton on Saturday.
Zabaleta had an absolute nightmare of a performance against Huddersfield Town ahead of the international break and should pay the price by losing his place in Manuel Pellegrini’s starting line-up.
Yet there’s no guarantee that will happen.
The Hammers boss ended up utilising Zabaleta from the bench when faced with the task of trying to overcome Manchester City a few weeks ago even though Zabaleta arguably had his worst display against Fulham in the game before.
And Pellegrini didn’t exactly leave him out of his starting line-up for long either, as before you know he was back in the manager’s preferred eleven for the match with the Terriers.
Pellegrini being so quick to forgive Zabaleta for his terrible display is rare for the experienced manager as he normally he seems to let other players stew a little long after bad performances.
This shows the hard task Fredericks has of becoming Pellegrini’s guaranteed first-choice right-back.
With that in mind, if Pellegrini does opt to stick with the experienced Argentinian against Everton, surely this means Fredericks has every to right to fume as it would mean the manager is snubbing him as a result.
The Hammers boss shared in his press conference ahead of the clash with Everton, as covered by the Hammers’ official website, claimed that aside from the club’s long-term injuries, there was no news to report.
This implies Fredericks is available for the match with the Toffees.
The 26-year-old may have gotten off to a slow start to life at the London Stadium after arriving from Fulham in the summer, but when given a run of games in February, proved his worth.
Yet if Pellegrini constantly looks to go back to Zabaleta every time even after he struggles, then surely Fredericks should be fuming as what else can he do to get a starting spot as he has seized his chances.
