Maxwel Cornet

Cornet plays with real physical power for a wide forward, driving through a challenge rather than dancing round it, and that strength explains why a previous coach once experimented with him at left back and found it worked. He is comfortable cutting inside or staying wide, and once he accelerates he is genuinely difficult for a tiring defender to dispossess. He also carries goals in him from wide areas, a habit that once made him the standout attacking threat in a struggling side.

The tension with Cornet has always been fitness, since injuries and loan spells have interrupted his rhythm more than his talent should allow. When fit and playing regularly, his physical profile makes him a real handful for full backs who rely on shape rather than raw strength. Whether West Ham get a settled run of games from him, rather than a stop start pattern, is the question.