OPINION
Making an instant impact on your debut is a hard feat for many players to achieve, let alone a young player who has just joined the club – but that could be the case at West Ham.
Step forward new striker signing Xande Silva, who made his debut for the under-23 side on Monday night after signing from Vitoria Guimaraes this summer.
The attacker’s debut for the club could not have got off to a more solid start, as he netted a hat-trick to ensure the Hammers soared to victory against their counterparts at Tottenham.
His latest exploits have warranted him a shot of being promoted to the first team, especially if boss Manuel Pellegrini takes note of the youngster’s impressive display.
The 21-year-old’s potential addition would transform the West Ham attack, which looked lacklustre in their last outing against Liverpool.
Yes, it may be after one game, but Pellegrini will regret it later if he does not give Silva the opportunity to make his mark in the Premier League.
Playing alongside the likes of Felipe Anderson will help him develop into an even more assured player, and one that could guarantee the team goals on a regular basis.
His recent performance in Premier League 2 indicates just how good he is at getting in the right place at the right time, and this is just what Pellegrini needs to transform his attack.
The 5’9″ [Transfermarkt] flyer largely operates as a right winger, but he is more than capable of playing just behind the striker to increase the team’s goal tally.
Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez have not been the most prolific of forwards recently, but Silva’s presence on the pitch will more than make up for that.
If bagging three goals on his debut was impressive, then it will be exciting to see how he can possibly progress from there.
Pellegrini must give him the opportunity to start against Bournemouth in their match, where he will see his attacking force transformed.
