David Moyes admits he faces a difficult decision on who to play up front for West Ham United with three strikers competing for a starting place.
Goals have been hard to come by for the Hammers in the Premier League this season with Moyes’ men netting just 23 times in 25 games so far.
Michail Antonio is the club’s top scorer in all competitions with nine goals this term, but only three of those have come in Premier League fixtures.
READ MORE: David Moyes' verdict on West Ham defensive pairing after first start together vs AEK Larnaca
The 32-year-old scored twice in four games earlier in the season but he went the next 13 appearances without a league goal before scoring in the 4-0 win against Nottingham Forest two weeks ago.
Gianluca Scamacca, who the Hammers signed for £30.5million from Sassuolo in the summer, has seven for the season, but he has also only scored three times in the 16 Premier League games he has featured. The Italian also went through a goal drought himself at one stage, failing to find the net in ten consecutive appearances heading towards the January transfer window.
West Ham decided to bolster their attacking ranks further in January with the £12m signing of experienced striker Danny Ings.
The30-year-old had 68 top-flight goals to his name from previous spells at Burnley, Liverpool, Southampton and Aston Villa before adding two more in his first West Ham start in that comfortable win over Forest.
Ahead of facing Aston Villa this Sunday at the London Stadium, Antonio is a doubt due to a calf issue and Scamacca has struggled for game time since returning from a knee issue, whereas Ings was an unused substitute in the Europa Conference League win against AEK Larnaca in midweek.
“We brought Gianluca in to give Antonio competition but then Gianluca had an injury and we weren’t scoring, we couldn’t get any goals from any of them, so we went down the route of getting someone tried and tested,” Moyes told football.london after West Ham claimed a 2-0 win in Cyprus.
“That’s the way it is, I can see why you’re asking because we’ve got three and how’s that going to work if it goes into one? It’s not easy to work out who’s not going to play and who is going to play but the way we’ve been playing, we’re needing to find a way to get better in many aspects.
“I don’t think we held the ball up well enough [against Larnaca]. We’re looking and we’re striving to find a way. I think first of all, individual form would be the key - I need people to train well and look good so we can give them that opportunity.
“I’m hoping that all three can do it. Gianluca’s still behind it a bit.”
READ MORE
Boubacar Kamara among five Aston Villa players Unai Emery could be without for West Ham clash
What Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick has said on West Ham job links amid David Moyes pressure
What the Premier League rules state on manager licences amid Will Still’s West Ham dream
West Ham suspend multiple season tickets after London Stadium video goes viral
David Moyes gives West Ham's Michail Antonio verdict after goals amid Danny Ings battle
