Niclas Fullkrug has made it categorically clear that he won’t stand for being second choice at West Ham. 

While there were plenty of positives to take from Julen Lopetegui’s first game in charge of West Ham United, there were also plenty of negatives. Thankfully, the majority of them should be solved when the new signings are integrated in, but it’s clear there’s work to do,

One of the biggest issues was created by Michail Antonio. As he did for much of last season, he offered little outlet to the creative players, hardly acting like a striker at all. In fact, Danny Ings offered so much more in the few minutes he was on the pitch than Antonio did.

Fortunately, Lopetegui does have an extremely strong option to bring in over the Jamaican in Niclas Fullkrug. In fact, the majority of fans were baffled by the decision to not give him his first Premier League start.

While Fullkrug is understanding of the decision to only use him as substitute this time around, he’s made it absolutely clear that he expects to be the first choice forward in the future. “I’ve only been in training for a week and a half,” he explained to Sky Sports Germany. “Before that was the Euros, then a break, and after that, I was first at Borussia Dortmund, and then there was the back and forth with the transfer. So, it’s okay for today.”

“But of course, ultimately, it’s going to come down to the fact that I want to play, and that’s clear. That’s my ambition, that’s the reason why I’m here, why I’ve set the Premier League as my goal.”

Given the nature of Antonio’s performance, it should be a pretty easy decision for the gaffer to start Fullkrug against Crystal Palace. While “it’s okay for today” may come across as slightly arrogant, it’s more likely the fact that he has high expectations of himself and he knows that he can fulfil them if he’s given the opportunity.

Some have compared the signing of the German to the likes of Sebastian Haller and Gianluca Scamacca, but he’s in a different league. He’s Germany’s best striker for a reason and he should absolutely thrive with the players he’s got around him.