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Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images

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West Ham fans on Twitter were loving Vlasic’s debut

Ally Darlow
Ally Darlow

Nikola Vlasic made his debut for West Ham off the bench yesterday.

The Croatian came on after 63 minutes, replacing Said Benrahma at St. Mary’s in the Hammers 0-0 draw on the South coast.

For the most part, there were very few positives to take from the bore draw, with Michail Antonio’s late red card leaving a particularly sour taste.

However, one positive that the fans can take was Vlasic.

The Croatian may not have been able to make an impact on the result, but he certainly worked hard in his 27 minute cameo.

A lot has been made of the fact that West Ham failed to sign an out-and-out striker to cover for Antonio, but Vlasic can do a job anywhere in attack.

Primarily an attacking midfield, Vlasic can also play off either wing giving David Moyes plenty of options.

In the Irons next Premier League outing they host Manchester United, although there is also a midweek clash with Dinamo Zagreb to worry about on Thursday.

Antonio could feature on Thursday, but come Sunday Moyes will have a headache.

The best course of action could be to use the likes of Vlasic, Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen in a rotating front four.

It’s always going to be a tough ask when facing Man United, it becomes even harder when Antonio is out.

It then becomes even more difficult when you factor in that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side witnessed the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored twice on his second debut.

Regardless of the opposition, Moyes will be setting his side up to attack and cause problems.

It’s hard to see a way in which Vlasic isn’t a part of that attack, which is something the fans will be keen so see after this weekend’s display.

You can read the Hammers’ thoughts on Vlasic’s debut here: