Whilst most of us have switched off footy for the season and now sit and enjoy re-runs of the EUCL final of 2 years ago that keeps popping up on social media feeds, [West Ham](https://www.claretandhugh.info/ipswich-town-1-3-west-ham-united-player-ratings/) still have players active in the international arena. Germany took on France today in the customary, pointless third and fourth placed playoff for the UEFA Nations League competition.
You might expect at this stage of a season the legs are weary, the older players might be reduced to bit parts: Certainly not the case for Hammer Niclas Fullkrug who started-and finished the game against France and had the most shots of anyone on the pitch (4).
Fullkrug at 32 might have an excuse for an early bath but played the whole 90 minutes + stoppage time in the game which the French won 2-0 thanks in part to some dodgy VAR calls. Having spent half the season out injured ‘West Ham’s German’ is obviously not carrying long-term fatigue.
There is a serious point here: If Germany’s international manager Julian Nagelsmann feels that Fullkrug can be an effective forward for ninety minutes then maybe he and Graham Potter need to have a chat: Potter’s own reluctance to use Fulkrug as a ‘starter’ has drawn widespread criticism.
To be fair, in last years European Championship tournament Fullkrug was limited to ‘super-sub’ appearances for the German side but evidently he has impressed with his fitness levels in a way which apparently cuts no ice at Rush Green. If nothing else, it would seem Fullkrug is ready to hit the ground running in preseason and stake his claim as a starter in Potter’s Premier League side for August.
Which is just as well since at present it looks as if he is West Ham’s only forward.