West Ham academy graduate Callum Marshall must earn opportunity after West Brom snub
West Ham academy graduate Callum Marshall has emerged as one of the club’s most exciting prospects but is in desperate of experience.
The 19-year-old has made just a single senior appearance for the Hammers, appearing as a substitute during a 1-0 defeat to Bristol City in the FA Cup.
Soon after, during the January transfer window, Marshall joined West Brom for a vital six-month loan in the Championship, learning his trade away from London Stadium.
With Carlos Corberan in charge, who has put his trust in the likes of 20-year-old Tom Fellows and 21-year-old Caleb Taylor, the West Ham loanee has an incredible opportunity to gain valuable minutes at Championship level.
The striker was given his debut against Birmingham City on Saturday 3 February, coming on as a substitute to see out a 1-0 victory in the Championship.
However, the Baggies boss was presented with the ideal scenario to deploy Marshall against Ipswich Town, but instead snubbed the youngster for full-back Pipa.
West Ham star yet to shine at The Hawthorns
Leading the match 2-1 at the time, Corberan decided a more defensive change would be a better plan, instead of bringing on some fresh, energetic legs up front in Marshall.
That decision looks to have backfired as Omari Hutchinson scored an injury-time equaliser for Ipswich, though, meaning the Baggies missed out on claiming all three points to push themselves away from their promotion rivals.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, West Brom were without an out-and-out striker on the pitch from the 65th minute. Brandon Thomas-Asante was replaced by Daryl Dike, who would be replaced 10 minutes later after suffering another devastating Achilles injury.
Without a player to hold up the ball, Corberan’s team were pinned back, defending their lead, up against one of the most prolific teams in the division this season. As expected, the Tractor Boys finally broke the deadlock.
Marshall was forced to watch on from the bench, with many West Ham fans knowing that he could have made an impact in the match, but it appears Corberan thought the youngster was not quite ready for the occasion.
Keep in mind that the 19-year-old forward has only been on loan for two weeks, which suggests there is plenty of time for Marshall to make a lasting impact at The Hawthorns. It is just a shame that his strengths were not seen against Ipswich.
Hopefully, he gets that chance against Cardiff on Tuesday.
In other Irons news, Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on the Moyes debate.
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