West Ham United: Michael Forbes handed Northern Ireland opportunity after Tuesday development emerges
West Ham gem Michael Forbes has been handed the opportunity to train with the Northern Ireland senior team this week.
The Irish FA confirmed on its website on Tuesday (14 November) that the 19-year-old defender has been called up from the U-21s team alongside Portsmouth midfielder Terry Devlin.
The duo will train with the Northern Ireland senior team ahead of their European Championship qualifiers against Finland and Denmark over the next week.
Good experience
After impressing for West Ham and Northern Ireland at youth level, Forbes will be delighted to have been invited to join his country’s senior team in training this week.
It will provide him with the opportunity to learn from some of the more experienced players and get a feel for what it’s like to be in a first-team environment.
The defender first joined the Hammers in 2020 when he signed a two-year scholarship deal with the club before going on to captain the U-18s side.
The Northern Irishman was handed his first professional contract last year after featuring for the U-18 and U-23 teams throughout the 2021/22 season.
He was named on the Irons’ bench for the Europa Conference League clash away at FCSB in November 2022 and will be looking to catch David Moyes’ eye again this season.
In other West Ham news, a talkSPORT broadcaster has told the club to sack Moyes in the next few days.