OPINION
With the transfer window having officially closed until January, West Ham will be forced to look elsewhere should the worst happen.
They got off to a terrible start in terms of injuries this season, with forward Michail Antonio being forced off the pitch with a hamstring injury against Newport.
It was reported by Claret and Hugh that the 29-year-old could be out until February, and Manuel Pellegrini can not afford any more setbacks.
The Hammers’ academy may have to be utilised to its full ability this season, and one player who is surely closing in on a breakthrough is midfield man Conor Coventry.
Pellegrini was reported by Claret and Hugh to have blocked a loan exit for Coventry in the summer, and now maybe the time to bring him into the senior fold.
Coventry continues to shine and impress for both club and country, with the 19-year-old the standout performer in the Republic of Ireland’s under-21’s clash with Armenia.
The Irish posted an appreciation post of the midfielder on their official Twitter account, highlighting his impressive stats from the 1-0 victory, in which he covered 11.2 miles which works out as 104m every minute.
Should Coventry continue to put in those sort of performances in the heart of midfield, Pellegrini would be left with no real choice put to give him the chance.
The 19-year-old was on the bench for the Hammers’ clash with Newport in the Carabao Cup second round, and he must be closing in on breaking past that.
Coventry has played every single minute of the under-23’s unbeaten start to the season as captain and managed to take that level of performance from his club to Ireland over the weekend.
Those experiences will only help the young West Ham starlet and help him change his numerous appearances on the bench as an unused substitute into minutes on the pitch in the future.
