“West Ham Manager’s SHOCKING Reason for Dropping Fullkrug and Paqueta Will Leave Fans Speechless!”

Julen Lopetegui had his fair share of questionable West Ham line-ups, but Graham Potter’s selection for the match against Manchester United raised even more eyebrows.

Despite United’s poor form this season, Potter opted for a surprising trio of changes, benching Niclas Fullkrug, Lucas Paqueta, and Emerson in favour of Vladimir Coufal, James Ward-Prowse, and Guido Rodriguez.

This came as a surprise to many, particularly as Potter had claimed satisfaction with his team’s performance in the previous game — a draw against a rotated Spurs side — while most fans strongly disagreed.

With just four wins from 17 games, Potter’s popularity is already under scrutiny, and the starting XI at Old Trafford only intensified the scepticism.

Supporters were especially frustrated to see Fullkrug dropped amid the club’s goal-scoring struggles, and confused by Paqueta’s omission, though some attributed it to his emotional outburst against Spurs.

The fact that all three dropped players were on the bench suggested these were tactical decisions, not enforced by injuries.

Despite the backlash, West Ham delivered a strong performance and beat a weakened Manchester United side 2-0.

Tomas Soucek opened the scoring with help from Mohammed Kudus, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, excelling against his former club, assisted Jarrod Bowen for the second goal.

Although the Hammers had to weather pressure, they avoided the sort of collapse that has plagued them throughout the season.

Fans vocalised their displeasure over Fullkrug’s exclusion, chanting his name and expressing support for Paqueta, who remained unused.

The speculation around Potter’s decisions was put to rest when he explained his choices post-match.

Potter revealed Fullkrug was benched for tactical reasons, stating he values the striker’s impact off the bench.

This stance may concern fans hoping Fullkrug would become West Ham’s focal point in attack, especially as the German has publicly expressed frustration about being used as a substitute, even under Lopetegui.

On Paqueta, Potter acknowledged the Brazilian had endured a difficult week due to the ongoing spot-fixing case and had been battling a cold, suggesting these factors influenced his benching.

Potter told Sky Sports: “Niclas had a huge impact for us off the bench… We felt we needed an extra midfield player today.

Lucas has had a huge week off the pitch, little bit under the weather, so we felt it was better for him to help us later.”

With back-to-back away wins at Arsenal and United, Potter may yet win fans over — if results continue, perhaps patience will prove rewarding.