Max Kilman “may never play for West Ham again”, according to The Athletic reporter Roshane Thomas.

The journalist was reacting after Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo replaced the injured Jean-Clair Todibo with Freddie Potts, rather than Kilman, for the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the weekend.

Todibo injured his calf in the warm-up, leaving Nuno with a decision to make over who to play less than an hour before kick-off.

Kilman would have been a like-for-like change, but Nuno opted to swap his system in order to accommodate Potts instead.

The West Ham defender has struggled with his form

Kilman arrived from Wolves at the start of last season for £40m, and it quickly became apparent that the Irons had overpaid for the centre-back.

His performances have actually got worse rather than better over the course of his two seasons at the London Stadium, and Nuno had clearly seen enough of the defender after the 3-0 loss to Wolves at the beginning of January.

Kilman has not started a league match since then, having been an unused substitute for the last seven fixtures, including the loss to Villa on Sunday afternoon.

Nuno tried to explain Kilman’s absence

When asked why he didn’t pick the 28-year-old to start in place of Todibo following the defeat at Villa Park, the Irons head coach said:

“Now you look back, and you consider many things. We decided this way because we felt it was the best option for the team.”

Nuno decided against directly answering why Kilman didn’t play, but it seems clear the centre-half is not rated by the manager. Whether that means he won’t play for the club again, as Thomas suggests, we shall have to wait and see.

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