Andriy Yarmolenko turned heads when he joined West Ham in the summer of 2018. Arriving from Borrusia Dortmund, he looked like he would be a valuable asset for the Hammers but has played just 13 times for the East London side.
He started his playing career with Dynamo Kiev where he made over 200 appearances before making the switch to the Bundesliga side Dortmund.
However, he soon fell out of favour with the Black and Yellows and made a move to the London Stadium but was unfortunately on the receiving end of an injury that cut his first season short.
Since then he has been in and out of the squad with Pellegrini setting his eye on Robert Snodgrass instead as a right midfield option.
The 29-year-old Ukrainian international certainly has the ability to be a game-changer, scoring his first goal in 18 months against Norwich when the Irons came away 2-0 victors with Sebastian Haller also finding the back of the net.
With youngster Grady Diangana leaving the Irons on loan to join former Hammers boss Slaven Bilic at West Brom, it has opened the gap for Yarmelenko to work his way back into the team.
He came on as a forward against Norwich rather than in his usual midfield role, and with Michail Antonio out of the squad till January through injury, Yarmelenko could prove vital cover alongside Haller and Albian Ajeti.
Fans had conflicting thoughts when the former Kiev man arrived at the club, however, he has turned into a fan favourite since arriving and has recently expressed his love for the club and the way they have treated him.
It is clear that Andriy has the ability to make himself a catalyst for West Ham’s success this season, but if he is to flourish then he needs to be getting as much game time as he can.
The injury last season proved to be his downfall in his form and his ability that he was known to possess during his time at Kiev. With game time and some luck, we should see him playing like he used to in those days, at least his for his sake.
