West Ham’s “Academy of Football” will get the chance to impress in a replay of their FA Cup third round clash with champions Bristol City.
Callum Marshall, Patrick Kelly, George Earthy, Ollie Scarles and Divin Mubama – all aged 19 or under – are training with the first team in preparation for the game at Ashton Gate.
All five players featured in last year’s win over Arsenal in the FA Youth Cup final and are expected to feature in some capacity on Tuesday night as manager David Moyes deals with a squad depleted by injuries and international call-ups.
Moyes has been urged to show more confidence in the youngsters, with Jeremy Ngakia still the latest academy graduate to start a Premier League game for West Ham in January 2020.
Kelly and Earthy have already signed new contracts – both were involved in the Under-21s’ win at West Brom on Monday – and the club is still in talks with Mubama and Marshall ahead of their contracts expiring at the end of this season. Scarles, an 18-year-old centre-forward, is highly rated and his contract runs until the summer of 2025.
First-teamers Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio are absent, while Mohammed Kudus and Nayef Aguerd are away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Moyes’ assistant Billy McKinlay said on Monday: ‘Due to injuries, the squad for the next few games may not be as big as it has been. Players have to take their chances when they get them.
‘ No player is happy if he is not selected, so it is up to him to show what he can do if and when he gets the chance.
‘We play to win games. If you talk to anyone at the club, you want to be successful in the cups. Winning inspires hunger and the desire to do it again.
The winner will face either Nottingham Forest or Blackpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup.