Why Lewis Orford is nailed on to become West Ham's unexpected hero this season after display vs Portsmouth

Lewis Orford started for the first time in his West Ham United career with an impressive display against Portsmouth this Saturday.

The Hammers ran out 3-1 victors in their Carabao Cup first-round game, beating fellow Championship competitors

John Mousinho's side are now slouches, as seen with how the visitors rallied to take the lead early on.

Adrian Segecic's strike was cancelled out in the end by the Irons, and it's hard to argue against how Orford was key for the result.

The Rush Green product can follow in Declan Rice's footsteps, with relegation possibly making this season the best chance for him to take his chance in E20.

Orford has started off in a brilliant way with his performance against Portsmouth, as his stats from the game prove what's possible this campaign.

How Lewis Orford can become West Ham hero this season

There were many great West Ham performances against Portsmouth, and Orford's was one of them.

The young Englishman was even trusted on some set-piece duties, which shows just how highly Nuno Espirito Santo rates the midfielder.

He had a 97 per cent passing accuracy and made an astounding nine tackles in the match, proving how well he can do both sides of the game.

You could even go as far as to say that Orford played better than Edson Alvarez, the same player who cost the Hammers over £30million.

The former Stevenage loanee has some top-class players around him, which will only help, as he can become a hero for the Irons this season by helping the club gain promotion back to the Premier League.

Especially when learning what West Ham are doing with Freddie Potts.

How Freddie Potts latest bodes well for Orford's future

Orford has now put himself right into contention to start against Burnley for West Ham's opening game in the Championship.

He can now be what Freddie Potts was supposed to be in E20, with the latter set to join Club Brugge on a permanent deal.

Orford is clearly viewed as a player with a higher ceiling by West Ham officials, and now he's started off well by showing his qualities at the perfect time.

Time will tell whether his performance has done enough for Nuno to trust him beyond cup games.