Former England striker Darren Bent has claimed that veteran right-back Pablo Zabaleta should be starting every game for West Ham.
Speaking to Football Insider, the now-retired striker said that the leadership and experience of the Hammers right-back is what Manuel Pellegrini’s side need in the starting XI.
Bent said: “I do think he should be playing every game. I know he’s getting on and that but for leadership and experience, knowing how to defend properly, organisation – someone of that calibre, who’s won the biggest trophies, you need that.
“You can’t go into the Premier League season against the champions with not so much inexperience but that want to go and defend, I don’t think West Ham have got that at the moment.”
Zabaleta joined West Ham on a free transfer two seasons ago following his release from Manchester City, with the Argentine signing a to a one-year contract extension in May of this year.
These comments come after the former Sunderland and Tottenham attacker questioned, again to Football Insider, whether West Ham defender Ryan Fredericks was cut up to play in the Premier League, suggesting that he doesn’t have faith in the 26-year-old defender’s defensive qualities.
Bent said: “He (Fredericks) had that stint at Fulham and when he got that move to Fulham it was a bit of an eye-raiser, a bit of a shocker, going: ‘Oh wow, they’ve signed him,’ because they’ve obviously seen something in him. Defensively on his side, defensively not the strongest.”
Fredericks started ahead of Zabaleta in the opening game of the Premier League season where West Ham were embarrassed 5-0 at home by the reigning champions Man City, with the former Fulham defender, in particular, finding it difficult to deal with the fluid and fast style of football we have all come accustomed to with Pep Guardiola.
