West Ham latest news: £2.7m-rated signing became undroppable for David Moyes | OneFootball

Paul Brown reckons that Craig Dawson's performances have made him undroppable – but the defender was never initially signed to be a regular starter.

How has Dawson performed at West Ham?

The central defender joined the Hammers on loan last October, four weeks after the season had already started due to the late closing of the transfer window.

However, after sitting out their first four league fixtures following his arrival, Dawson came into the side against Southampton last December, replacing the injured Fabian Balbuena.

And Dawson has gone on to establish himself as a regular part of the Hammers backline after months of brilliant form, missing only the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in April, and that was because he was suspended after being sent off the week earlier at Newcastle.

Dawson has been ever-present at the start of this season, keeping Issa Diop out of the side. But his place in the team is likely to come under threat following the recent arrival of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea.

He started the draw at Southampton last weekend, but the Frenchman got valuable minutes in the Europa League in midweek and will be hoping to dislodge Dawson from the XI when Manchester Untied visit east London this weekend.

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Despite the possibility of Dawson dropping out of the side in the coming weeks, Brown said that he wasn't signed to be first-choice.

What did Brown say?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "I don't think Dawson was brought in to play every week, he's just been so good and done so well that Moyes couldn't leave him out. But I don't think the plan was ever to have Dawson starting every game."

Would it be harsh to drop Dawson?

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It would be slightly unfair given the level of his performances since joining the club, but they've brought in Zouma for a reason, and it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

Dawson hasn't made any glaring mistakes this season, but West Ham have kept just one clean sheet in the league and have not exactly kept it tight at the back.

Bringing him Zouma against Manchester United would be a tough ask, but his pace and quality makes him more equipped to deal with their attacking threat than Dawson.