West Ham United boss David Moyes has made a bold decision regarding the future of defender Arthur Masuaku...

What's the word?

In Roshane Thomas' recent report for The Athletic, the DR Congo international will be 'handed an opportunity to impress' the Hammers boss during pre-season, despite having failed to secure a regular starting berth in recent seasons.

As per the report, however, the east Londoners are 'in the market' for a new left-back this summer, with the 28-year-old - and teammate Aaron Cresswell - not set to be the 'long-term options' in the role.

This follows recent speculation that the London Stadium outfit are interested in Hoffenheim ace David Raum, while Juventus's Luca Pellegrini is another full-back who has been named as a possible target of late.

Supporters fuming

While it may be an encouraging sign that the club are still chasing a new left-back acquisition, supporters will seemingly be fuming that Moyes could hand yet another chance to the aforementioned Masuaku, with the Lille-born man having never truly managed to perform on a consistent basis for the Irons.

There will be those wondering what the former Manchester United manager can learn about the £4.5m-rated dud that he doesn't already know, with the former Olympiacos man having now been at the club for six years, with Moyes in charge for much of that time across his two spells at the helm.

The most recent campaign seemingly appeared to be the end of the road for the £43k-per-week flop as he made just six Premier League starts in total, with a rare, notable high point having been his fluky winner against Chelsea in the 3-2 thriller back in December.

Even with the club enjoying a lengthy run to the last four of the Europa League, the versatile defender was still rarely used in the competition, making just four appearances in total during that continental voyage - only two of which came as starts.

With academy graduate Ben Johnson proving himself comfortable on either side of the defence, Masuaku's role has been inhibited even further, with it hard to understand just why Moyes would need the one-time Valenciennes man as part of his squad.

Having joined in 2016 from Greece on a £6m deal, the attacking full-back has had more than enough chances to impress in his 127 outings in all competitions - in which he has scored just twice and provided only ten assists - with the Hammers boss seemingly needing to be ruthless to finally wield the axe.

As it is, it looks as if Masuaku could remain something of a wage burner for at least another season, albeit with the player's contract set to run until June 2024, with the option of a two-year extension after that.

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