Have the rumours of James Ward-Prowse and Jean-Clair Todibo’s demise under Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham United, to paraphrase the great Mark Twain, been somewhat exaggerated?
Speculation certainly suggested, after both Todibo and Ward-Prowse were nowhere to be seen against Everton on Monday night, that the writing was on the wall for the £66 million duo.
Rumours surrounding Todibo’s future are nothing new, of course. They have hounded the Frenchman throughout his West Ham United career to date. But for James Ward-Prowse, his absence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium felt particularly damning.
Nuno Espirito Santo, lest we forget, was the head coach of Nottingham Forest when the England international saw a City Ground loan spell cancelled midway through last season, after all.
Yet, at Rush Green, Nuno took training on Thursday with Todibo and Ward-Prowse very much involved. Shouts of encouragement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka could be heard too, as the club’s Player of the Year looks to finally pick up on where he left off in May.
Now, usually, the sight of an under-contract player on the training field, even one out of favour, would not cause much of a stir. ‘Man goes to work, shocker’.
Yet, as recently as Wednesday, reports suggested that James Ward-Prowse may be banished from West Ham’s first-team, forced to train on his own or with the reserves until January arrived and escape routes presented themselves.
Clearly, that is not quite the case. Because there he was, very much involved as Nuno cast a keen eye over his squad ahead of Saturday’s trip to Arsenal. Ward-Prowse even earned himself a few words of encouragement from the new boss, especially when whipping a fantastic strike into the top corner during a mini-game exercise.
Nuno could also be heard praising Wan-Bissaka – ‘That’s good Aaron!’ – after he produced one of his trademark sliding challenges to stop an Andy Irving burst. He also spent time micro-managing Jean-Clair Todibo, altering his positioning.
Max Kilman made his name under Nuno at Wolves, developing from a precocious youngster into one of the most dependable centre-backs in the division for a time. That, plus the usual excellence of Willy Boly, Romain Saiss, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo on his watch, suggests that Todibo could be the latest beneficiary of Nuno’s attention to detail, presuming he can force his way back into the starting XI, that is.
“I was a big, strong boy but I had so much to work on,” Kilman told the Birmingham Mail while explaining the impact Nuno had on his young career at Molineux.
“[Nuno improved] my game understanding and my physicality. When, I came in I had never played five at the back so I’ve had to adapt and understand my role as a defender. I’ve had to become stronger and sharper, and that’s what I lacked when I first came into Wolves.”
Freddie Potts was heavily involved in those training drills too, even snapping into a challenge on midfield rival Guido Rodriguez on one occasion.
After handing him his first appearance since the 5-1 home defeat by Chelsea in August, Nuno hinted at a big role for Potts from here on in, while also encouraging George Earthy to come back stronger following his latest injury setback.
The overall message Nuno appeared determined to put across to his new charges, meanwhile, is that togetherness and a team spirit trumps all.
He has placed a consistent emphasis on getting to know his players ever since taking charge less than a week ago.
“We are starting to know each other,” Nuno said, addressing the group with a thousand-watt smile on his face. “Share, speak freely. It is not about changing [my decisions]. It is not about that.
“It is about taking care of you guys, because what matters is the game [against Arsenal].”
