WHZ View: How did Oladapo Afolayan fare on West Ham debut v Doncaster?
West Ham United cruised past Doncaster Rovers on Saturday afternoon to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Irons destroyed the League One side 4-0 at the London Stadium, and will now meet Manchester United in what promises to be a huge clash.
David Moyes took the opportunity to hand some of his first-team players’ rests, with youngsters such as Oladapo Afolayan making their debuts.
At 22-years-old, it is getting to the stage where Afolayan really needs to prove himself as good enough at the London Stadium.
The attacking midfielder made it an afternoon to remember, scoring the fourth and last goal to put the icing on the cake for the Irons.
Looking at his goal, it would have been easy for the young talent to stand and watch Ryan Fredericks, but instead, he put himself in the perfect area to smash home the rebound from his effort.
It was great anticipation, but it was exactly what he deserved.
Despite only being on the pitch for 22 minutes, Afolayan appeared desperate to cover every blade of grass for his side.
According to WyScout, the attacking midfielder completed each of his passes, dribbles and found the target with his shots.
On top of this, the 22-year-old didn’t shy away from the physical side of the League One team, winning both of his defensive duels and only losing one of three aerial battles.
It was a great start for Afolayan, but he must continue to prove himself.
Moyes has proven previously that he will keep faith in his younger players should they perform, whether that be in the FA Cup or the Premier League.
We saw no reasons as to why Afolayan shouldn’t atleast have earned his spot on the bench against Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening.
In other West Ham United news, three things we learned from FA Cup win over Doncaster