West Ham travel to Old Trafford this evening to face Manchester United in the FA Cup and David Moyes should finally unleash Maxwel Cornet after his return from injury.
Should Maxwel Cornet start vs Manchester United?
Cornet has been sidelined through injury since early October, as he was forced off with a calf issue in the Hammers’ 2-0 win over Wolves.
The former Burnley man was only expected to be out for a few weeks but has suffered a number of setbacks on his route to recovery, which has seen him spend the last two months in Paris with a specialist.
Although it would be wrong to rush him back into action too soon, the 26-year-old has caught the eye of his manager in training this week, so could be ready to make his comeback against United in the FA Cup.
Moyes said: “I’ve been really impressed by how he’s come back. Maxi’s come back this week and looked sharp and quick. He looks like he’s on the verge of being ready to be rolled out.
“I’m pleased because he’s been out for such a long time, I’m hoping I won’t need to take too much time but it’s very difficult. For someone to be out for five months and say: ‘okay get your gear on, you’re going to go straight back out’ is not happening that often.
“But, back to the point, we haven’t got much time so we might need to get him out as quickly as we possibly can.”
Does Cornet have a point to prove?
Since his £17.5m switch from Burnley, the Ivory Coast international has managed just nine appearances, notching five assists in cup competitions for the Hammers.
However, he would feature in just 86 minutes of Premier League action before his injury, which suggests that he hadn’t done enough to prove to Moyes that he should be starting in the top flight, although he was unfortunate to see an equaliser at Chelsea ruled out harshly by VAR.
Kolo Toure was full of praise for his compatriot last season after he scored a wonderful volley against Leicester City.
He told Sky Sports last year: “He has been terrific. Unbelievable. I saw him, he scored a great goal against us. Technically, he is a very good player.”
After hitting nine goals in a relegated Burnley side last season, Cornet clearly has what it takes to make a difference for the Hammers as they look to avoid a return to the Championship.
Therefore, he needs to prove to Moyes that he can make a difference in the remaining fixtures, and he can start with a strong performance in an arguably low-pressure game against United in the cup this evening.
