By Conor Hogan

After this weekend’s game against Aston Villa, West Ham will be without Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The full-back pair will depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after Sunday’s fixture and are unlikely to return before the FA Cup tie against QPR on 10 January at the earliest.

Their absence leaves Nuno Espírito Santo with a difficult dilemma. Kyle Walker-Peters has been reliable cover for Wan-Bissaka and, thanks to his versatility, can play on either flank. 

But the Irons are still short a full-back, with Ollie Scarles sidelined since suffering a broken collarbone against Leeds in October – an injury that may keep him out beyond January. As a result, West Ham have no senior option to replace Diouf during AFCON.

Nuno could look to the January window, but given West Ham’s track record in mid-season recruitment, it feels unlikely the club will secure adequate cover for the Senegal international.

If only there was another senior player that could fill in at full-back and prove reliable in the role – before May, there would’ve been three.

This current situation makes the seemingly uneccessary releases of Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal look all the more baffling. Both are thriving at Stoke City and Hoffenheim respectively and would have eased the Hammers’ current shortage.

Given Coufal’s relatively low wages and Cresswell’s tenure at the club, the decision to not give the pair an additional year at the end of their contract is one the Hammers may live to regret.

The veteran fullbacks loved West Ham, and even if then-manager Graham Potter wanted to acquire Diouf and Walker-Peters in the summer, Cresswell and Coufal would’ve probably taken a paycut to remain at the club where their careers flourished.

Coufal even admitted in a recent interview that he believed he would retire in East London, where his son had become part of the Hammers’ Academy. Given how impressive he has been in the Bundesliga, there is no evidence to suggest he should’ve been released. 

Additionally, Potter sold Emerson, the Hammers’ starting left-back, for a fee of less than £1 million in the summer – one of the 50-year-old’s biggest blunders during his tenure.

Considering the squad he inherited, Nuno has done exceptionally well to collect nine points from his last six matches. But thanks to the damage done before his arrival, he now faces a serious selection problem heading into the busy festive period.