By Conor Hogan

West Ham face QPR in the FA Cup this afternoon, and boss Nuno Espírito Santo is expected to make several changes to his starting XI.

The tie should make for an interesting encounter, as the Hammers search for their first win in all competitions since November.

It is expected that Nuno will hand opportunities to players who have seen limited game time this season, such as Guido Rodríguez and Igor Julio.

However, one man who should be certain to start is goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who has endured a torrid time in East London since his move from Leicester City in the summer.

The Danish shot-stopper was thrown into the starting XI for West Ham’s opening-day defeat at Sunderland in August and has looked bereft of confidence ever since.

Expectations were high for the 25-year-old, who arrived for around €20 million — the most West Ham have ever spent on a goalkeeper. But after conceding 11 goals in his first four matches, he was dropped and has not featured under Nuno.

Sunday, however, could give the Dane an opportunity to present the manager with a genuine dilemma for the rest of the season.

Despite the heroics Alphonse Areola is capable of, the Frenchman has also been culpable at times, most recently in Tuesday night’s defeat to Nottingham Forest.

West Ham’s move for Hermansen has been heavily criticised by supporters, but the goalkeeper himself has been severely mismanaged since arriving at London Stadium.

After an injury that ruled him out for three months and disrupted his pre-season, Hermansen was selected ahead of Areola for the Premier League opener — despite barely training with his new teammates and not having played a competitive match since April.

He has also kept West Ham’s only clean sheet of the season, starting in the Irons’ 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in August.

Hermansen is far from the finished article, but he has not been helped by the club’s handling of his integration. He deserves an opportunity in the cup to show Nuno what he can offer for the remainder of the campaign — and what he could bring if the Hammers do find themselves in the Championship next season.