West Ham United head to Belgium on Thursday night to take on Gent in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final tie.
The Hammers have had a perfect ten-match winning run in the competition this term, but manager David Moyes has often made several changes to his time in Europe, utilising his full squad and allowing himself the chance to rest players for Premier League matches, with West Ham hosting Arsenal less than 72 hours after their first leg tie with Gent.
Ahead of their first leg clash against the Buffalos, here are five West Ham players who are hoping to get minutes in the first leg in Belgium, having struggled for chances in the Premier League.
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Alphonse Areola
Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola is one of only two West Ham players to have started all ten matches in the Europa Conference League for the Hammers this term.
Prior to the international break, Areola had the chance to stake his claim as first-choice goalkeeper for both club and country, following Lukasz Fabianski’s (eye/cheek) injury and Tottenham Hotspur captain Hugo Lloris’ retirement from international duty. However, he was unable to do either.
Fabianski has played every minute in the league this month since his return, but Areola has still put in some important displays in Europe this term and as things stand, will be the club’s number one for the long-term, especially with Fabianski’s contract set to run out this summer, as things stand.
Ben Johnson
Right-back Ben Johnson had been in a two-way battle with Thilo Kehrer for the right-back shirt prior to last month’s international break in Vladimir Coufal’s absent through injury, one which Kehrer came out on top of.
However, with Coufal now back in the fold, Johnson was the only available senior outfield player not in the squad for this month’s matches with Southampton and Newcastle United, getting a recall to the bench at Fulham on Saturday after Lucas Paqueta was absent through injury.
Just under 36% of Johnson’s minutes this season have come in Europe and he will be hoping to get more minutes at Gent, having played the duration of the Hammers’ win at Anderlecht in the same country back in October.
Flynn Downes
Midfielder Flynn Downes’ minutes in the Premier League off the bench has gradually grown recently, but he has only started four league matches this season, all of which have been in games where Paqueta has been injured.
The 24-year-old missed the round of 16 leg win over AEK Larnaca due to a yellow card suspension, but just under 42% of his minutes in all competitions have come in Europe, with it being a good platform for the Brentwood-born Hammers fan to get used to life at his boyhood club.
With at least one of Rice, Paqueta and Tomas Soucek likely to be rested from the start in Belgium, it could provide a good opportunity for Downes to start.
Maxwel Cornet
Winger Maxwel Cornet has had an incredibly disrupted first season at West Ham, missing over five months of action with a calf injury between October and March.
Over 69.7% of Cornet’s 539 West Ham minutes this season have been in Europe and in that time, he has provided three assists and won two penalties for his side, despite his short number of game minutes.
With a hectic final six weeks of the season to go in the Premier League and Europe, a run out and good performance for Cornet could prove to be vital in the Hammers’ push for Premier League survival, and a first trophy since 1980.
Manuel Lanzini
Like Areola, midfielder Manuel Lanzini holds the record of starting all ten of West Ham’s matches this season.
Over 76% of Lanzini’s 1,004 minutes in all competitions this season have come in Europe, netting penalties during home and away wins over Danish side Silkeborg in the group stages of the competition.
Lanzini is out of contract this summer as things stand and has been a key figure for the Hammers in Europe, someone Moyes has been able to rely upon when ringing the changes.
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