Premier League: Enner Valencia set for West Ham start against Hull in MNF clash
Monday 15 September 2014 22:49, UK
Sam Allardyce is set to unleash £12million signing Enner Valencia from the off when his West Ham side face Hull City on Monday night.
The Ecuador striker is one of nine summer recruits at Upton Park but has yet to start in the Premier League, only playing every minute of a Capital One Cup defeat to Sheffield United - when his missed penalty proved decisive.
But after playing an integral part in two fixtures for his country over the international break, Allardyce believes the man who scored three times at the World Cup is finally ready for the rigours of the Premier League.
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Asked if Valencia was fit enough to start at the KC Stadium in the Monday Night Football clash, Allardyce said: "Yes, I think so.
"He's ready to get the opportunity to go and play. He scored against Bolivia and hopefully he will start scoring for us very shortly.
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"It will be great once he gets out there and produces what he did at the World Cup. It's the goal threat we really need more of this season.
"He's one of our major signings and we hope he is going to be very successful."
Mauro Zarate and Diafra Sakho have also arrived to bolster an attack shorn of injured Andy Carroll and with only Carlton Cole as back-up, and Allardyce hopes a fresh scrap for places will lift a side that scored just 40 goals last season.
"Sakho, Valencia, Zarate and Carroll is a good variation for me to start selecting from," the manager added.
"How do you keep the position? By doing what we expect and that's contributing in the build-up as well as in the critical position of finishing the chances we create. We want to get to 50 goals this year.
"We need these players that we bought to produce the goals at this level like they have produced elsewhere."
Valencia echoed his manager's pre-match sentiments, insisting he was ready for the call.
"We had two games in America over the week and they were both of high intensity," he said.
"It was good to play again after some weeks of not playing full games. It's good to get minutes to get fit, to get my match fitness back as soon as possible and then show that for West Ham.
"It's a very important game for the club. I'm ready to play if the manager wants me to. It will be a tough game but an important one for us to keep earning points and moving up the table."
"All the teams are very strong in the Premier League this season, no matter who they are. They made some good signings over the summer, but the most important thing is that we focus on ourselves and try to take the three points back to London."
Watch Hull v West Ham live on Monday Night Football from 7pm on Sky Sports 1.
