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West Ham are poised to move for Rafa Benitez if Slaven Bilic is unable to halt the club’s slide.

The Londoners, who go to relegation candidates Hull on Saturday, have lost their last three Premier League games and are without a win in five matches.

Manager Bilic’s position will be assessed at the end of the season as part of the Hammers annual review.

Former Liverpool and Chelsea boss Benitez is on course for promotion from the Championship at the first time of asking with Newcastle, but his future at St James' Park remains uncertain.

The Spaniard’s frustration at the lack of signings in January has left lingering concerns he could quit this summer if he feels the club lacks ambition.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

West Ham prefer to back their managers and are confident that Bilic still has the dressing room behind him, but he is under pressure to turn things around.

Benitez remains well thought of at a club where, two years ago, there was a deal in place for him to succeed Sam Allardyce - only for the Irons to be gazumped by Real Madrid.

Speaking in December 2015, Hammers joint-chairman David Sullivan said: “We were two hours from getting Benitez and then Real came in. We had agreed a contract and everything.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

“He is a top manager, whatever anybody says, and I think he’d have done a wonderful job for us.”

The 56-year-old, as we reported at the time , was also linked with Bilic's job in the run-up to Christmas.

Former Manchester City title winner Roberto Mancini, currently a free agent after being fired by Inter Milan in August, is another option having made it clear that he is interested in a return to the Premier League four years on from his Etihad exit.

(Image: Getty)

West Ham want Bilic to deliver a minimum of two wins from their next four matches, three of which are against teams in the bottom four - Hull, Swansea and Sunderland.

They are particularly concerned by the Hammers’ poor run of goals conceding either early in games - as they did against West Brom, Watford and Leicester — or late in them, which happened against the Baggies and Bournemouth.

Only Middlesbrough and Burnley have a worse record than Bilic’s side over the past five games.

West Ham have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight league outings.