Academy players Jacob Knightsbridge and Kaelan Casey are expected to start for West Ham against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup third round.
According to the Evening Standard on Wednesday [27 September], the adolescent duo has traveled to Sincil Bank with the squad for the later-in-the-day fixture.
Casey has already received a lot of attention after making his first senior debut in a Europa Conference League match last season.
Declan Rice lauded the defender as “unreal” when he impressed in West Ham’s 5-1 FA Youth Cup final thumping of Arsenal in April.
The trip to third-tier side Lincoln provides Casey with a realistic opportunity to gain more senior minutes.
Given his role as a goalie, Knightsbridge’s chances of appearing on the field are slim, with Lukasz Fabianski almost certain to start.
However, given that both players are already on Moyes’ radar, the future appears bright for both.
If they turn into first-team regulars, as Casey hopes in the near future, the club might save millions in transfer expenditures.
Their prospective involvement against Lincoln comes on the heels of some bad news from the institution in recent weeks.
Divine Mukasa, a highly regarded player, just joined Manchester City, while Amara Nallo has joined Liverpool.
When academy graduates Ben Johnson and Conor Coventry are likely to leave London Stadium, some good news was desperately required.
It is now up to Casey and maybe Knightsbridge to represent the academy and demonstrate that there is something to be optimistic about in terms of United’s future.
In other West Ham United news, a player has been chastised for a “fateful error” he made last week.