A section of West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to drool over Xande Silva after he scored a hat-trick in the Under-23s clash with Tottenham on Monday night.
Silva, 21, joined the Hammers from Vitoria Guimaraes in the summer and in his first performances for the London club, he was able to find the back of the net against Spurs in Premier League 2.
It's all to play for in this London derby after the new boy's equaliser… ? pic.twitter.com/YwMDFPFaga
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 13, 2018
Some supporters took to social media to wax lyrical about the Portugal youth international, with one claiming that the attacker is “better than Antonio”.
This is Futbol has rounded up some of the best tweets below:
Get him in the first team
— The West Ham Vault (@TheWestHamVault) August 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/joswhu/status/1029076267126140930
https://twitter.com/WhufcRiley/status/1029076323334008832
https://twitter.com/whu_boulcott/status/1029076710921326592
https://twitter.com/garysdelaney/status/1029077482211880960
He’s better than antonio
— ø?î?? (@oliverrrwhu) August 13, 2018
What A Lad
— KH (@Wavey_KH) August 13, 2018
Well taken goal. Wonder if he’ll get a chance in the Carabao cup.
— Jace De Souza (@desouza1994) August 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/PrestonWHU/status/1029079916237778944
OPINION
West Ham did a lot of business in the summer and they certainly didn’t neglect adding to their Under-23s side as well with the addition of Silva from Vitoria. The 21-year-old earned a taste of senior football in Portugal last season as he appeared 13 times across all competitions for Vitoria, and he obviously did something right to capture the attention of the big-spending Londoners. It’s nice to see the Hammers fans so excited about a youth prospect. One fan claims that he is better than Michail Anontio, and while that could be more of a dig at Antonio than it is a compliment for Silva, it is a good sign that he has managed to score a goal for the club, albeit in the Under-23s. Maybe as the season goes on, Manuel Pellegrini will decide to give Silva a chance to shine in the senior squad. Upcoming Carabao Cup and FA Cup fixtures could be the ideal fixtures for him to show the fans at the London Stadium what he has to offer.