Julen Lopetegui has a problem with West Ham star after bizarre reaction to simple question and he needs to let it go

Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui signed up to work in that structure.

So he can have no complaints about it.

There was a meeting of minds on some signings during West Ham’s busy summer window.

Lopetegui is said to have pushed for Max Kilman, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Guido Rodriguez and Carlos Soler.

West Ham majority owner David Sullivan takes more of a backseat on transfer since Steidten’s arrival.

But Sullivan pushed to make one signing happen. And it’s becoming increasingly obviously which one.

Every manager has their favourites and players they trust more than others.

There also players and managers who don’t mix, especially when they have not been signed by them.

Ex West Ham boss David Moyes and Sullivan signing Said Benrahma are a prime example of that.

Now it seems a similar situation is developing regarding the new manager and one of the club’s nine summer signings.

Lopetegui has a problem with a West Ham star after his bizarre reaction to a simple question and he needs to let it go.

Lopetegui has problem with West Ham star after bizarre reaction

West Ham’s win over Man United had more than a slice of luck about it.

Not least because the player who turned the whole game on its head was snubbed for a start yet again by the manager.

Hammers fans were furious Lopetegui did not give Crysencio Summerville his first Premier League start.

Summerville’s man of the match performance and goal taught Lopetegui a valuable lesson about West Ham fans that he’ll never forget.

The flying Dutchman was absolutely superb as he changed the game in West Ham’s favour, scoring the opener.

Summerville has admitted to his frustration at a lack of game time under Lopetegui so far.

After he scored, many were claiming Summerville was wagging his finger at the manager as if to say ‘No I’m not celebrating with you’ before embracing Mohammed Kudus.

Given Lopetegui snubbed him for a start just about everyone in football thought was nailed on, it would not have been a huge surprise.

But video footage since has put those Summerville claims to bed.

All the talk since the game has been about Summerville and rightly so.

Yet when Lopetegui was asked about the £26m signing ahead of Forest, he was obdurate and spiky.

It screamed of Moyes and Benrahma as a reporter asked Lopetegui about Summerville’s impact.

Lopetegui refused to talk his young star up at all. In fact he shut the straightforward question down immediately with a really strange reaction.

Hammers boss needs to let Summerville hang-up go

“I am not going to talk about individual players or the line-up for the next match,” Lopetegui said when asked about Summerville.

“So let’s see. We have different situations and players to choose so we are going to try to put the team that we think is going to help us more to be able to compete with Nottingham because they demand a lot of other teams to compete so we have to be ready…

“He (Summerville) didn’t do anything that he didn’t do before. He’s one player that’s ready to help us, sometimes in the line-up, sometimes in the bench.

“I repeat all of them have to be ready, he has his characteristics. There are not too players with the same strengths and we try to use the strengths in different moments.

“The most important thing is Crys is working well despite whether he plays or not and he’s ready to help the team.”

Why can’t Lopetegui use this as an opportunity to talk his player up and give him confidence?

The manager says he picks the team based on who he thinks will help West Ham get the result.

But so far Lopetegui’s starting line-up selections have been pretty dismal. Some disastrous.

It would have been the same against Man United too had they taken their chances.

Lopetegui has admitted he did not know too much about Summerville before West Ham signed him.

The fact he was brought in by Sullivan may not sit well with the manager.

But he needs to get over it and give Summerville the starting berth he deserves.

Not least because several top clubs wanted the winger in the summer and he chose the Hammers based on the fact he felt he would get more game time in east London.

Lopetegui’s attitude and treatment of the star could even run the risk of Summerville pushing for a move if things don’t change.

Let’s hope he starts against Forest or questions need to be asked.

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