Considering that Carlo Ancelotti is such a big fan of Lucas Paqueta<\/a>, West Ham United\u2019s<\/a> number ten will be wearing national team colours during the summer of 2026 himself when fireworks mark the beginning of the so-called \u2018Festival of Football\u2019.<\/p>\n But for Mads Hermansen<\/a>, things are not quite so certain. <\/p>\n The former Leicester City goalkeeper is desperate to play<\/a> between the sticks for Denmark at the North American World Cup. <\/p>\n But after losing his place at the London Stadium to Alphonse Areola, Danish pundit Peter Kjaer cannot help feel that those best-laid plans have gone very quickly awry.<\/p>\n Despite being a near-ever present in the squad since his first call-up back in 2023, Hermansen is still awaiting a maiden international cap. <\/p>\n And, given that many back home had him pegged as the long-term successor for a now 38-year-old Kasper Schmeichel, the sight of Hermansen warming the bench at West Ham is not a particularly welcome one.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve actually been worried,\u201d Kjaer, who played in goal four times for Denmark in the 1990s, tells Tipsbladet<\/a>. \u201cI think it was a good move. It was actually one that I had predicted would happen because I think things fit together well. <\/p>\n \u201cWe had a coach at the time in\u00a0Graham Potter\u00a0who wanted to play football, and we know Mads Hermansen as a goalkeeper who is good with his feet. And Alphonse Areola is not particularly good with his feet.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it looked like a\u00a0match made in heaven, but things happen in football that you can\u2019t know in advance. They have lost a lot of football matches and have changed managers. Now, we have a completely new situation, where a new manager has come in, who, by the way, was a goalkeeper in his own career.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Denmark goalkeeper understands Nuno Espirito Santo\u2019s stance<\/p>\n By his own admission, it was Graham Potter\u2019s style of play which lured Hermansen<\/a> to the English capital. But the qualities he offers with the ball at his feet were quickly undermined by a handful of early errors and a dreadful defensive record from set-piece situations.<\/p>\n Potter made the \u2018difficult\u2019 decision to drop Hermansen<\/a> in place of Areola after just four Premier League matches. And while Nuno insists that West Ham\u2019s big-money signing will get his chance<\/a> again later down the line, the experience and the physicality Areola brings means the Frenchman is likely to keep his place for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s been the case that [Nuno] hasn\u2019t been comfortable putting Mads Hermansen in goal. For me, it\u2019s clearly about what Nuno has been hired for, which is to survive with West Ham. They\u2019ve been bullied in some of the games, so it looks bad,\u201d former Besiktas and Aberdeen keeper Kjaer adds.<\/p>\n \u201c[It is not as if] he should have chosen Mads Hermansen because he was number one.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not the case. He must have thought; \u2018I need a goalkeeper who I think right now is the best and is the one who can save the most shots for us. Then I\u2019ll buy into whether he can play with his feet or not\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure that you just change the goalkeeper. It\u2019s really annoying for Mads Hermansen, and it\u2019s annoying on behalf of Denmark.\u201d<\/p>\n Nuno puts his faith in Alphonse Areola before Brentford clash<\/p>\n West Ham host Brentford on Monday night with Nuno looking for a first win at the third time of asking. Areola has conceded five goals in his three matches back in the starting XI, but the 32-year-old has certainly made a big difference when it comes to dealing with crosses into the penalty area.<\/p>\n![\"Mads](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2234320262-1024x699.jpg\")
Photo by Visionhaus\/Getty ImagesPeter Kjaer \u2018worried\u2019 about Mads Hermansen at West Ham United<\/p>\n