West Ham United call on academy gems as Vladimir Coufal sits out Serbia trip
West Ham have called upon academy aces Dan Chesters and Lewis Orford to cover for Vladimir Coufal and Edson Alvarez as the pair have not travelled to face Backa Topola, according to Sean Whetstone.
The West Ham news source shared via his Twitter account on 30 November that, despite training with the rest of the squad, Coufal has not travelled to Serbia for the Europa League clash.
This has come after it was shown that Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio have all remained in East London rather than joining the travelling squad.
Plenty of star players missing
The news that Coufal has also not travelled with the squad means there are now five first-team players missing from the travelling squad for a key Europa League clash from which the Hammers may need a win to guarantee a first-place group-stage finish.
Even without the four key players, David Moyes’ men will be expected to win against Backa Topola, to give them the best chance of progressing from the group stage of the Europa League, which has been their target since the tournament began.
As much as it will be a blow to Moyes’ side to be without those key players, it could provide a brilliant opportunity for both Chesters and Orford to step up, or at least to gain important experience of a European away game with the first team.
Chesters has shone as a wing-back for the under-21 side while Orford has also impressed in a defensive midfield role, earning the plaudits from Moyes as he has called them up to travel with his first-team squad in the Europa League.
In other West Ham news, an insider has shared the reason Kudus hasn’t travelled.