OPINION
There are baptisms of fire, and then there are baptisms of fire – West Ham Ben Johnson’s experiencing the latter.
As far tests of character go they don’t come much bigger than making your debut against Pep Guardiola’s rampant Manchester City side, but that was exactly the mountain young Johnson was faced with on Wednesday evening.
The 19-year-old is Ledley King’s cousin, and on the basis of Manuel Pellegrini’s selection against the champions, the Hammers’ boss might feel that has a player with the potential to be every inch as talented as his older relative.
Admittedly, the Chilean’s hand was forced a little, with Aaron Cresswell ruled out with a foot injury, and Arthur Masuaku not in the squad, but the fact that Pellegrini still saw fit to go with his young academy graduate rather than repurposing one of his more senior professionals is a fantastic indication of how highly thought of he is.
Maybe if it had happened against a less fearsome opponent then less would be made of it, but by choosing to play the prodigy against one of the best teams in Europe, Pellegrini has sent out a clear message of just how highly he thinks of Johnson.
Cresswell cannot be relied on to stay fit, and Masuaku is a divisive figure at the best of times, so who knows, maybe this tall task could be the first step in a long a fruitful West Ham career for Johnson.
