West Ham United ace Callum Marshall can kick on after first senior international call-up, youngster ‘loves to score’
West Ham have plenty of exciting players coming through the ranks, with their young stars attracting plenty of attention after lifting the FA Youth Cup in May.
The Hammers smashed London rivals Arsenal 5-1 at the Emirates, with the senior side winning a trophy of their own a month later as they clinched the Europa Conference League.
The future of the club is, therefore, in good hands, with one of the youngsters involved in the aforementioned FA Youth Cup success now rewarded for his displays with his first senior international call-up.
Forward Callum Marshall, who signed his first professional West Ham contract in November after moving from Irish Premiership club Linfield, has been selected by Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill for his side’s upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier double-header against Denmark and Kazakhstan.
O’Neill was full of praise for the teenager upon his call-up, telling the official Northern Ireland national team Instagram account: “I was aware that he had done very well for West Ham this year.
“They won the Youth Cup and he was a big part of that success. He impressed greatly in the Under-21s [training] camp, loved his attitude to the game. He has a real hunger for the game, loves to score goals.”
Whether or not the 18-year-old gets minutes across those two matches remains to be seen, but even getting called up in the first place can provide him with further confidence to kick on at West Ham.
The Hammers were somewhat goal-shy this season, particularly in the Premier League, with senior strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Danny Ings not hitting the heights expected of them.
The club will no doubt turn to top European attackers to try and solve this issue ahead of the new campaign, but there is every chance that Marshall can get minutes on the pitch next season, particularly in the various cup competitions.
The teenager, who can play centrally or out wide, hit a stunning tally of 21 goals in all competitions this season. Marshall managed 16 goals in his 16 Under-18 Premier League matches, with one of his four FA Youth Cup goals coming against the Gunners in the final.