OPINION
West Ham United no doubt surprised everyone when they beat Manchester United back in September, and they will be looking to complete the double over them this Saturday.
However, the Red Devils are undergoing a full-back crisis, with the likes of Ashley Young suspended for this weekend’s clash due to getting sent off against Wolves in their last fixture [the Mirror].
Young has been a regular fixture in the United team this season, racking up 35 appearances in all competitions, but the fact that he will be missing for this clash will have really pricked the Hammers’ ears up.
The Hammers, with 25-year-old Felipe Anderson in particular, will be licking their lips at the thought of Young – who is on £120,000-a-week [Spotrac] – being absent from the team, as he has shown numerous times in this campaign how much of a threat he can be when going forward.
The 33-year-old’s dangerous crosses into the box are the one thing that the Irons would have been initially aware of, after all, this is one of his best attributes – but they can now rest easy knowing that he will not be playing.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not Luke Shaw available either due to him being suspended, so things are looking pretty bleak for United on that front at the moment.
If there ever was a chance to get back to winning ways, taking advantage of the opposition’s first team crisis is definitely it. The likes of Anderson and Manuel Lanzini would have a field day exploiting the weaknesses within the team, so they must not waste this chance to get three points under their belts.
The manager is no doubt gutted that Young is not going to feature, as it means that their Premier League top-four hopes are under threat.
Either way, West Ham will certainly be licking their lips with anticipation now.
