Some early West Ham United team news has emerged ahead of their upcoming Europa League clash on Thursday night, as David Moyes could be about to unleash a player with just two senior appearances.
The Lowdown: Route to the final?
Moyes’ men are set to take on Eintracht Frankfurt at the London Stadium under the lights, in what will be the first of two epic semi-final legs.
The Hammers booked their place in the last four following a 4-1 aggregate victory over Lyon in the quarter-final, where Jarrod Bowen scored twice to continue his impressive run of form.
As the Irons look to go all the way, it seems as though they will have to do it without their respected troop of centre-backs as some news emerged on Kurt Zouma on Wednesday.
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The Latest: Zouma misses training
In a recent video shared on Twitter by The Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas, Zouma wasn’t anywhere to be seen in preparation for the game, but youngster Aji Alese could be seen training alongside the first team.
The post read: “Open training session at Rush Green. No sign of Kurt Zouma but Aji Alese training with the first team.”
With David Moyes confirming the Frenchmen is a serious doubt, it looks like Alese may get a shot, at least from the bench.
The Verdict: Time to unleash Alese
With Zouma looking unlikely to be involved against the German side, this would leave Craig Dawson as the only fit senior centre-back available for selection, so it’s time to unleash the 21-year-old star in the making.
The £360k-rated Alese has only played senior football for the Irons twice but has made 22 appearances in Premier League 2 so far this season, finding the net on two occasions for the youth side, as per Transfermarkt.
Once hailed as an “outstanding” player by his U23s boss Mark Robson, even though Alese isn’t necessarily used to playing on a world stage, the emergence of a great young player could be exactly the injection of life the Hammers need to finish the season on a high.
In other news, the Hammers are plotting to swoop in and sign a Lyon player who impressed them in the last round…