David Moyes moots important first-team role for Divin Mubama, West Ham United like him ‘a lot’
Divin Mubama could play an important role for West Ham in the upcoming season, according to his manager David Moyes.
The 18-year-old made six appearances in all competitions for the Hammers last season, scoring once in the Europa Conference League.
And the young striker has been impressing his manager this summer, scoring in the pre-season matches against Perth Glory, Tottenham and Dagenham and Redbridge.
When asked if Mubama could be of use to Moyes next season, Moyes told Sky Sports: “I think he could, yeah. He’s a young centre-forward and it’s a very hard role to play, being a young player, for many different reasons. But we like him a lot.
“We hope that we can continue to develop him. We’ll get him minutes and get him playing as often as we can. At the minute, he’s doing as well as anybody, so why not?
“But again, this is the time of the season where it’s a bit easier. The pressure isn’t on. The games have got no great meaning to them in pre-season, except you’re getting yourself ready and fit.”
Huge potential
Mubama clearly has huge potential, with Moyes and the West Ham coaching staff now in charge of looking after the player properly and helping him develop into a top Premier League talent.
Many young players like Mubama often go out on loan at this stage to further their development, but it seems that the Hammers teen will be part of the first-team picture in East London once again next season.
That is largely down to his fantastic ability, but it has perhaps been helped by the current attacking situation at the London Stadium club.
The likes of Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio are potentially leaving this summer, while Danny Ings has failed to hit the heights expected of him since his arrival.
Still, nothing should be taken away from Mubama, even if his heroics are coming in matches that, as Moyes notes, do not really matter in the grand scheme of things.
In other West Ham news, one journalist has shared a Hammers transfer verdict amid Tim Steidten “teething problems.”