Will 'The King' Return?

It has been a long long while since Authur 'the King' Masuaku featured for West Ham, 18 games in fact, and although the team have coped admirably without him, it has missed his 'fleet of foot' contributions. Prior to his operation, the 'King' had been a key component in a side that was devastating most of the opposition by utilising a three at the back formation, by playing ahead of Aaron Cresswell he was able to utilise his unique ability to bring the ball out of defence like no other.

It is probably too much to expect Authur to start against Wolves on Monday, but he will make the bench at least, his energy and enthusiasm might well be one of crucial elements necessary to sustain Hammers push for Europe as we enter into the final nine games of this strangest of seasons.

Unless David Moyes is fully backed in the next transfer window, which is most definitely NOT a given, this season represents what might be the only opportunity that West Ham have of 'breaking through to the other side'. By reaching Europe the club's profile will go from good, to attractive, that is of course mentioned in the hope that if the club do qualify for Europe, that it is at a competition stage that doesn't require too much arduous travelling to the nether regions of far flung european locations.

At this stage of what has been an incredibly compressed season, ALL teams are suffering from injuries and losses of form, whether temporary or permanent, and so Hammers go in to the remaining nine games with as good a chance as any to progress.

Unfortunately the fixtures ahead for David Moyes and his team are rather difficult, however as a slight bonus Hammers play three classic 'six pointers' among those nine fixtures, the games against Chelsea, Everton and Leicester will go a long way to deciding this season's final outcome.

With the king back, all we need now is for the 'Angel' to return! - Ed