Nuno Espírito Santo kicked off his West Ham United tenure in fine fashion on Monday night.

The former Nottingham Forest boss didn’t pick up all three points in the Premier League clash with Everton, but they fought back from a goal down to claim one.

It was a display full of the sort of grit and determination that was so lacking under Graham Potter, and surely a positive sign of what could come this season.

Moreover, there were some standout performances from his starters, including a duo he could help make one of the best in the league.

The players who could thrive under Nuno

Starting with the obvious, there is no reason to think Jarrod Bowen won’t continue to be West Ham’s most important player under Nuno.

After all, the Englishman scored the goal on Monday night and racked up an unreal haul of 24 goal involvements in 36 games last season, despite the club doing so poorly for practically the entire campaign.

Finally, the Irons’ new manager was able to turn Chris Wood into a lean, mean goalscoring machine for the Tricky Trees last season, so just imagine the impact he could have on the former Hull City ace.

Speaking of the development of the Kiwi marksman, if he was able to chalk up 20 goals and three assists in 40 appearances under Nuno last year, there is no reason Callum Wilson couldn’t also have something of a late career revival this year.

The former Newcastle United star is the same age as the Forest man, and you only need to go back to 23/24 to reach the last campaign in which he was effective in front of goal, as he scored 10 goals and provided one assist in 26 games that year.

It could also be a great season ahead for Soungoutou Magassa and Freddie Potts.

The two of them are young, exciting and impressively technical central midfielders who can play in the six, and considering the development of now England international Elliot Anderson last year, there is no reason why they couldn’t be looked upon similarly this time in 26/27.

With all that said, there is one duo in particular that could be in for an extraordinary campaign under Nuno this season.

The West Ham duo Nuno could transform

While plenty of fans would probably love Nuno to transform their centre-back partnership this season, he’s not a miracle worker.

Chalkboard

However, the Portuguese coach could help make the partnership of El Hadji Malick Diouf and Crysencio Summerville on the left-hand side one of the best in the Premier League.

It’s something that certainly feels possible, as even though he only arrived in the summer, the “explosive” Senegalese international, as dubbed by one analyst, has already been described as “one of the best full-backs in the league” by another analyst.

While that is certainly high praise indeed, it’s not hard to see where they are coming from, as in just six Premier League games, the 20-year-old already has three assists to his name.

Moreover, on another night, he could have picked up one or two more against Everton, as he was constantly firing in dangerous cross after dangerous cross into the Toffees’ penalty area.

At the same time, Summerville was consistently driving at his opposite number and more often than not beating them.

In fact, the Dutchman completed three of his five dribbles, more than anyone else on the night, won five of eight ground duels, amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.67, took 55 touches, played one key pass and won two fouls.

Minutes

77′

Expected Goals

0.42

Expected Assists

0.12

Touches

55

Accurate Passes

27/29 (93%)

Key Passes

1

Shots on Target

1

Successful Dribbles

3

Ground Duels (Won)

8 (5)

Fouls Won

2

Clearances

3

Shots Blocked

1

The “unstoppable” winger, as dubbed by Statmand Dave, was so effective against David Moyes’ side that he was named the Man of the Match.

So, imagine how dangerous a pairing these two will be when they’ve had more time to play together. The former Leeds United star will be a nightmare for opposition defenders, capable of cutting inside with his close control, while Diouf will be hurtling up and down the pitch, firing in sensational crosses into dangerous areas.

Add to that a manager who was known for using flying wing-backs at Wolverhampton Wanderers and then utilising attacking full-backs at the City Ground, and the Irons left-hand side could become one of the most dangerous in the Premier League.

Ultimately, there is much of the season to come, but West Ham look like they could have something of a cheat code on one side of the pitch, and Bowen on the other.