Manuel Pellegrini is worried about using West Ham United back-up goalkeeper Roberto, according to Football Insider.
The reputable football outlet claim on their website that the Chilean will publically support the 6ft 3in Spaniard, who is set for an extended spell between the sticks during Lukasz Fabianski’s injury lay-off.
Football Insider reports that despite Pellegrini being an admirer of his shot-stopping, he has identified Roberto’s kicking and flexibility as two areas that are real issues in his game.
West Ham’s director of football, Mario Husillos, is confident that his summer signing is capable of stepping up and making a positive impact in the absence of Fabianski.
OPINION
Given that Pellegrini is said to not fully trust certain aspects of Roberto’s game he could be in for a nervy few weeks at the Hammers. It is suggested that the Chilean regards Roberto as superior to David Martin, so he is more likely to replace Fabianski than the former Millwall man is. The performance of the Spaniard when coming on against Bournemouth was more than enough to suggest that Pellegrini shouldn’t worry too much over his capability, as he was a major reason as to why the Hammers were able to pick up a point. The 33-year-old made three saves at the Vitality Stadium and did his best to prove that Pellegrini has no need to fret over his back-up keeper. Roberto will be concentrating on his shot-stopping and making sure that he is ready to help his side pick up all three points in every game, and the best way to do that is to keep a clean-sheet when possible.
