CandH blogger Allen Cummings looks at a player with a bit to prove

With the players now reporting back for training – well most of them anyway – there’s a genuine feeling the new season is just around the corner. Expectations are high!

And one player in particular with much to aim for and plenty to prove is Ryan Fredericks. A year ago the talented right back was the first new arrival at the London Stadium under Manuel Pellegrini’s stewardship. Much was expected of him after his starring role in Fulham’s successful promotion to the Premier League.

Unfortunately, he suffered a stop/start affair, interrupted by injury and a lack of consistency in form. Ryan was expected to be first choice right back, with veteran Pablo Zabaleta as back-up. That’s not the way it turned out.

Fredericks started the campaign, but was a victim of our poor opening when Pellegrini was forced to shuffle the pack. He made just 15 Premier League appearances in total, three of which were from the subs bench, and struggled to put together a consistent spell in the side.

A sequence of six consecutive games in February and March was his best run of the campaign – that coming after an injury at Huddersfield in October 2018 that ruled him out of contention for 11 games.

Fredericks knows this season could be a defining one for him. At the age of 26 he is at a critical stage of his career. His pace and attacking instincts epitomise the Pellegrini way of playing, but Ryan knows now is the time for him to fulfil the promise for which he was brought in.

He admits to at first being slightly overawed by the Premier League last season, but says his confidence grew through the campaign, both on the pitch and in and around the team.

New Scotland manager Steve Clarke was reported as having had talks with Fredericks to explore the possibility of him playing for the international side  even though he has previously represented England at under-19 level. If that possibility is realised, it will be another confidence booster for the West Ham man.

With Zabaleta having extended his contract to the summer of 2020, Fredericks knows he will continue to face genuine competition for his first team place, which is as it should be.

The talent is there – with a nod to the baseball weekend just past – the time is ripe for Ryan Fredericks to step up to the plate.