OPINION
West Ham aren’t afraid of giving youth a chance.
The extraordinary rise of Declan Rice, plus the first team debut handed out to Ben Johnson against Manchester City earlier this season show that Manuel Pellegrini is a firm believer that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
The Hammers have a long history of bringing through bright young talent from the academy, and the next one who could make the grade is Nathan Holland.
The 20-year-old winger has consistently been one of the most eye-catching prospects in the academy this season, and shone again in the U23s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Friday.
Holland has already been given his first team debut this campaign, appearing in the EFL Cup match against Bolton Wanderers last season, but he is now surely reaching a point where he could feature more regularly.
The Hammers face a crunch clash with Everton this weekend that could ultimately decide their hopes of a European spot this season, and in a strange sort of way, losing that game could be a blessing in disguise for Holland.
If Pellegrini’s side have nothing left to play for in the run in, there’s no reason why young players like Holland, and Johnson, and Xande Silva, shouldn’t be given a chance to prove what they can do.
Ordinarily that might seem defeatist or risky, but given how well Rice has thrived this season, it could well be a crucial learning curve that turns them into the stars of tomorrow.
Holland should be at the forefront of that push for action.
