David Moyes could help West Ham United save millions with squad selection choice
Academy pair Jacob Knightsbridge and Kaelan Casey are reportedly in line to feature for West Ham in their EFL Cup third-round tie against Lincoln City.
According to the Evening Standard on Wednesday [27 September], the teenage duo have travelled with the squad to Sincil Bank for the match later in the day.
There is already plenty of hype surrounding Casey, who was handed his only senior appearance to date in a Europa Conference League tie last season.
The defender was then hailed as “unreal” by Declan Rice after impressing in West Ham’s 5-1 FA Youth Cup final thrashing of Arsenal in April.
The trip to third-tier side Lincoln presents a realistic opportunity for Casey to get some more senior minutes under his belt.
Knightsbridge has less of a chance of featuring on the face of it given his position as a goalkeeper, with Lukasz Fabianski almost certain to start.
The future certainly seems bright for both players, though, given they are already in Moyes’ thinking.
Should they develop into first-team regulars – and that is the hope for Casey in the near future – it could save the club millions on transfer fees.
Their possible involvement against Lincoln also comes on the back of some negative news coming out of the academy in recent weeks.
The highly regarded Divine Mukasa recently joined Manchester City, while Amara Nallo has made the switch to Liverpool.
When you consider academy graduates Ben Johnson and Conor Coventry are expected to depart London Stadium, some good news was needed.
It is now over to the likes of Casey and potentially Knightsbridge to wave the flag for the academy and show there is plenty to be positive about in terms of United’s future.
In other West Ham news, a Hammers player has been called out for a “fateful error” he made last week.