Mavropanos reacts to West Ham teammate Fullkrug’s ‘winning team’ message
West Ham striker Niclas Fullkrug is not done for the season just yet despite his side’s campaign coming to an end.
The 32-year-old made the move to the London Stadium last summer, joining on a four-year contract from Borussia Dortmund.
He has though endured an eventful campaign, with claims that West Ham had issues with Fullkrug’s fitness early in the campaign.
Having eventually overcome those issues, the striker became a more regular feature for the Hammers in the latter stages of the season.
But as they struggled to put a consistent run of results together, Fullkrug raised eyebrows with scathing public assessment of his West Ham teammates.
Niclas Fullkrug now on international duty
Ultimately, the season ended with the Hammers finishing 14th in the Premier League table, an underwhelming return following their ninth place finish the campaign before.
In the wake of the campaign drawing to a close, Fullkrug had sent an emotional message to West Ham fans, admitting things hadn’t gone as hoped but thanking them for their support.
The striker has not had long to reflect on that though, quickly linking up with the German national team, who face Portugal in the UEFA Nations League semi finals on Wednesday (4 June).
Ahead of that game, the West Ham star took to Instagram on Tuesday (3 June) to post a series of images from his national team’s training session, including one with his partners for a successful group drill.
That was accompanied by a caption that when translated reads: “The Winning Team! Ready for tomorrow!”
In response, Fullkrug’s West Ham teammate Konstantinos Mavropanos was among those to show his support by liking that post.
West Ham striker facing tough second season
Football Insider Verdict
Given his injuries and the fact he was in a side that never really got going under either Julen Lopetegui or Graham Potter, this was not an easy debut campaign at the London Stadium for Fullkrug.
There were flashes of potential from the Germany international, but some would argue not enough to suggest he can be a regular starter for the Hammers.
Meanwhile, there are now reports that West Ham are targeting Aleksandar Mitrovic for a summer move, which would add further competition for Fullkrug at centre-forward.
As a result, the 32-year-old may need to find some top form quickly if he is going to establish himself as a first choice starter in Potter‘s side.