Nuno singles out two West Ham stars for praise and sends Jean-Clair Todibo message

From the selection of Alphonse Areola, a first Premier League start for Soungoutou Magassa, and the eye-catching omissions of James Ward-Prowse and Jean-Clair Todibo, Nuno Espirito Santo made plenty of big calls on his West Ham United debut.

Yes, technically speaking, Nuno made only two changes from Graham Potter’s final XI.

But when the team news filtered through an hour and a quarter before kick-off at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, there were still a fair few big calls to spark plenty of pre-match discussion.

Nuno dropped James Ward-Prowse, not only from the starting XI but from the squad. After the former Nottingham Forest coach terminated Ward-Prowse’s loan spell at the City Ground midway through last season, and now this, the writing appears to be on the wall.

Graham Potter replaced Mads Hermansen with Alphonse Areola during what would prove to be his final stand nine days earlier. A decision Nuno Espirito Santo clearly backed. Areola started again with Hermansen on the bench.

There was no sign of Jean-Clair Todibo, meanwhile, on a night when Jarrod Bowen produced a piece of ‘magic’ worthy of Hogwarts, let alone the Hill Dickinson.

Nuno hails West Ham United duo Jarrod Bowen and Alphonse Areola after Everton

The reporter who quizzed Nuno Espirito Santo on Bowen’s thumping left-footed equaliser just past the hour mark was not the only one who used the word ‘magic’.

Crysencio Summerville described Bowen’s brilliance in a similar fashion. West Ham’s two wing wizards have taken it in turns to pull rabbits out of hats while many of their teammates are left resembling Seamus Finnigan after another wave of the wand gone wrong.

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Nuno watched Summerville and Bowen destroy his Nottingham Forest side during a stunning 10-minute finale at the City Ground a month earlier. This time, he had the luxury of seeing the two widemen run rings around opposition defenders.

“It’s the first game. It’s now it’s up to us to analyse and see how the game [went]. But, first impressions, I think the team competed well,” Nuno told Beanyman Sports during his post-match press conference.

“[Everton] was tough place to come. A tough, tough place to come. A very good team. But overall, I think was a was a good game, intense, both teams had chances. And the message for us is how we can compete now, the basics of a football match.

“Defend properly and attack, try to to take advantage of the imbalance.”

Just before Bowen’s rasping leveller, Player of the Match Summerville came close to an equaliser himself. A horror back-pass from Jake O’Brien intercepted by the former Leeds star, but brilliantly denied by Jordan Pickford.

At the other end, though, Alphonse Areola more than justified his inclusion ahead of Hermansen, albeit without pulling off anything quite so spectacular.

“It was a good chance. It was Cry Summerville that [forced] a fantastic save, but our keeper did also good saves, you know,” Nuno adds. “We are always positive, believing that our chance is going to come.

“[In Bowen], we have players that can produce these moments. It’s all about how we do things together. It’s not about individuals, it’s about how can we do things together.”

Nuno sends message to Jean-Clair Todibo and James Ward-Prowse

While a club source tells Hammers News that Jean-Clair Todibo was left out due to illness, his absence – like that of Aaron Wan-Bissaka during Potter’s final few matches – will understandably spark plenty of speculation.

Todibo, a £36 million signing from OGC Nice, was also not in the squad for the recent defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.

“We arrived three days ago. We had to make a squad list,” Nuno said when asked about the absence of both Todibo and Ward-Prowse, while suggesting that both players will have the chance to force their way back in.

“Players understand because I am direct and honest and I explained to them. Next game, another decision to make. But always with the view and the thought to help the team.”

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