It seems a long while ago now that West Ham fans were getting very excited about Martin Samuelsen.
The silky midfielder immediately endeared himself to fans with a string of impressive displays in the youth team.
After joining from Manchester City, there were high hopes for the youngster.
But his career has not progressed as expected and now he is out on loan at VVV Venlo.
Does Samuelsen have a future at West Ham? We take a look…
Samuelsen at West Ham
Samuelsen joined West Ham from Man City in 2015. He immediately impressed at youth level with some dazzling performances.
The winger possesses plenty of skill and his dribbling ability is impressive.
West Ham chose to send the 3-cap Norway international on loan to League One side Peterborough United, where he was a fans’ favourite.
But his career seems to have peaked at that moment. Since then, he has had three unsuccessful loan spells at Blackburn Rovers, back at Peterborough and then at Burton Albion.
With just two first-team appearances at West Ham to his name (both of which came in Europe), he was sent out on loan again this summer.
VVV Venlo
The 21-year-old joined Eredivisie outfit VVV Venlo. The next challenge in his career was to impress in the Dutch top division.
However, he has largely been a back-up player in the league and has found game time hard to come by.
Last weekend, he scored twice in the cup to open his account and perhaps prove to the VVV Venlo management that he is ready for first-team action.
What does the future hold?
According to transfermarkt, Samuelsen’s deal at West Ham expires in summer 2020.
That means he still has one year left to earn a place in Manuel Pellegrini’s plans. But this is a make or break year for him.
If those goals can give him the confidence to develop into a real threat in Dutch football, then he has a chance.
But at the moment, his prospects of becoming a first-team Hammer look slim.
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