‘Absolutely disgusting’ – Goldstein slams West Ham boss for subbing off Odubeko
TalkSPORT host Andy Goldstein has laid into West Ham boss David Moyes for his treatment of academy prospect Mipo Odubeko.
The 18-year-old striker came on for his second Hammers appearance in the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. He was introduced after half time in the FA Cup clash for the injured Andriy Yarmolenko.
Unable to impact the game, Odubeko was pulled off in extra time, playing just 58 minutes. Goldstein voiced his opinion on talkSPORT in a video posted on Twitter, saying: “I’ve got a big bone to pick with David Moyes.
“The young lad Odubeko, ex-United, only 18, came on for Yarmolenko after 54 minutes, was taken off 58 minutes later.
“I think that’s disgusting. I think that’s absolutely terrible. I would imagine that David Moyes is big enough and ugly enough to know whether a player is good enough to go onto the field and play.
“I don’t for one moment believe that after 58 minutes he went, ‘oh actually he’s not that good’.
“David Moyes has said he’s a good young talent and he’s looking forward to giving him a chance. The only recognised striker they had in that squad as well.
“I think its absolutely disgusting. You could ruin the kid, you could break him.”
An overreaction
A bit over the top this one.
Odubeko is a highly rated talent at West Ham and will continue to be after this disappointing run-out. He’s thought of so highly in fact that Moyes didn’t feel the need to replace Haller in January.
He came onto the pitch last night to be marked by Harry Maguire. Manchester United captain, England international, a man who played in a World Cup semi-final two years ago.
Maguire has his critics, but he’s a top-quality defender. An 18-year-old making his second appearance in men’s football was always going to struggle.
According to WyScout, Odubeko lost possession seven times, twice in his own half. He won just 28% of all duels, 11% in the air. This isn’t a dig at the youngster, just seeing things from Moyes’ point of view.
He was pulled off after we went a goal behind, we were chasing the game and it was passing him by a bit. It was always going to be a big ask for him to perform against some of the best defenders in the Premier League.
United we’re pretty much full strength in their backline. They’ve kept eight clean sheets this season and are effective at keeping strikers quiet.
Odubeko will no doubt get another chance in the first team. He didn’t do anything wrong whilst on the pitch, the game just seemed to pass him by a bit.
A learning curve, and something he will no doubt be keen to correct on his next opportunity.
In other West Ham news, here are three things we learned in the clash with United.