West Ham United are facing something of a dilemma over Manor Solomon, with Israel reportedly considering bringing the winger back into the team for Tuesday’s Nations League clash against Austria. The 26-year-old has been struggling with back pain during the international break, although Israel manager Ran Ben-Shimon has suggested that he is feeling better after returning to training.
According to Sport5, Solomon could now be in contention for the Austria fixture. That follows comments from Ben-Shimon suggesting the player had trained and was feeling better, although his fitness would need to be reassessed.
For West Ham manager Scott Parker, however, the situation presents an interesting dilemma. We desperately need the old Manor Solomon back, but I wonder whether another international appearance is really what the player needs right now.
Manor Solomon representing Israel during a difficult international break. The West Ham winger has been carrying a back injury since October
West Ham Need The Old Manor Solomon Back
Look, I’m caught between a rock and a hard place on this one.
There is part of me that hopes Solomon gets a game, so he can get back to form. Because there’s no doubt about it, West Ham have a far bigger chance of getting promoted this season if Manor Solomon is back to the sort of form he was in when he played for Leeds in the Championship.
Clearly Scott Parker has faith in him because he has seen how destructive he can be in that division. Getting that player back would be a significant boost for the Hammers, particularly with the Championship promotion race starting to get serious.
But, and it’s a big but, we have had complaints of back injury during the October internationals, and we’ve already had it during this international break.
As I reported earlier in October, a West Ham source confirmed that Solomon was in considerable pain after an exhausting international schedule. More recently, we reported on his latest back problem, which restricted his training with Israel.
Should Israel Rest The West Ham Winger?
There is also part of me that wonders whether we would not have been better served, and the player himself, actually resting up, getting some medical treatment, or even being given ten days off completely to recuperate and joining back up with the squad for the last few days of training before the Preston game.
As things stand, there’s nothing in his recent form that suggests he could start and should start against Preston. And without him being on the training pitch during this international break to impress Scott Parker, he’s not going to be able to catch the manager’s eye.
Edvin Austbø has certainly given Parker something to think about on the left wing. Indeed, Austbø’s recent performances have highlighted the competition for Solomon’s place, and I suspect the Norwegian is currently ahead of him in the pecking order.
But I don’t want to write off Solomon. We know what he’s capable of producing in this division, and West Ham will need every bit of attacking quality available if we’re serious about getting back into the Premier League.
Hopefully, Israel will make the sensible decision and only involve him against Austria if he is genuinely fit enough to play. We cannot afford another international break to leave us with a player who returns to east London carrying another injury.