A trio of promising West Ham youngsters are set to be promoted to the first team for more senior action next season, according to journalist Sam Inkersole.
The Football.London writer claimed in a live question and answer on the website’s blog (14:26) that teenage pair Conor Coventry and Ben Johnson, as well as Nathan Holland, look set to included among Manuel Pellegrini’s squad during and after the summer in order to get more game time under their belts.
All three only have one first team appearance to their name to date, young full back Johnson the only one to turn out this season in the club’s defeat to Manchester City.
Opinion
West Ham have a proud tradition of developing youngsters and it seems as though they want to continue that into next season. In Johnson, Coventry and Holland they have three players in different positions who can act as cover for the senior stars which saves the club from having to spend money on purchasing fringe players for the squad. Johnson is the only one the fans have seen in the first team this season and considering the baptism of fire he was handed by Pellegrini, with a debut against eventual Premier League champions Manchester City, he performed admirably. Holland is a winger who those in the know have been excited about for some time while Coventry is a defensive midfielder who will no doubt be looking at Declan Rice’s rise through the ranks for inspiration. How much game time they get remains to be seen but it appears as though Pellegrini has plans for them in the not too distant future.