Why 22-year-old goalscorer didn't started against Manchester United

Cryscencio Summerville was one of the best players for West Ham in the 2-1 home win over Manchester United. The 22-year-old left-winger displayed elite game awareness on the first goal as he timed his run well to find the back of the net after receiving the pass from Danny Ings.

Still, Summerville came as a second half substitute for Carlos Soler but a large section of the West Ham fans expected him to start this match. This is due to the fact that Mohammed Kudus picked up a red-card against Tottenham Hotspurs and Summerville is the only forward in the Hammers squad who is a more similar profile player as Kudus in terms of his dribbling and playmaking.

Why 22-year-old goalscorer didn't started against Manchester United

Hence, the home fans were left wondering why manager Julen Lopetegui didn't started the former Leeds United star in the front three. Now, after the match, Lopetegui has opened up about his decision to play Summerville as a second half substitute instead of starting him on the left flank, saying,

"We thought for this second half, with Manchester playing on Thursday, that we would have more energy with Summerville playing. Fortunately, it worked very well. The players played with commitment and energy. Our heads didn’t drop when we conceded."

- Julen Lopetegui

Manchester United recently played their third consecutive draw in the UEFA Europa League before facing West Ham, and thus, didn't had a good momentum for this match. Moreover, the Red Devils concede a lot of goals against jet-heeled forwards and therefore, Lopetegui preferred to bring Summerville in front of a struggling defence rather than starting him in the front three.

Alongside Summerville, Tomas Soucek and Danny Ings were also brilliant substitute decisions by Lopetegui, who helped the Hammers to take a thrilling last-minute 2-1 win at the London Stadium. Meanwhile, Lopetegui also made a few lineup mistakes such as playing Carlos Soler as a forward, and would want to find a perfect starting lineup to continue their winning momentum in the Premier League.