Noble injury may mean it’s Cullen time

It almost seems like a case of the season starts here as the Hammers travel to north London tomorrow.

And the fascinating question for me is given Mark Noble’s toe injury whether the moment has come for Josh Cullen to get his big chance in the midfield.

Noble faces a late test tomorrow but when managers mention these things so close to game it generally means there is a pretty big chance the player will miss it.

And given his outstanding performance against Charlton on  Tuesday night, it would seem that young Josh is the natural candidate to replace the captain should he be unavailable.

Manu Lanzini made a big impression and surely comes into the reckoning unless Moyes decides on a safety-first – “they shall not pass” approach to the game.

Felipe Anderson and Seb Haller both made a case for themselves but I would be surprised if they don’t remain among the subs at the Emirates.

The manager – in an interesting passing remark when discussing defensive signings – mentioned he has the option of using Declan Rice at central defence.

And with Issa Diop having missed much of pre-season and looking leggy against Charlton that may be a consideration for Saturday although I expect the young Frenchman to retain his place-.

Here’s our expected line-up: Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, Cullen, Bowen, Lanzini, Antonio. Subs: Randolph, Johnson, Masuaku, Fornals, Snodgrass, Yarmolenko, Anderson