Mohamadou Kante, Ezra Mayers and Keiber Lamadrid were all conspicuous by their absence as West Ham United’s Under-21s lost at Derby County two days before the FA Cup fifth round clash with Brentford.
How much can be read into their absences, well, that remains to be seen.
Nuno Espirito Santo may shuffle his pack as West Ham United host Brentford with a spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals on the line. Youth team trio Mohamadou Kante, Ezra Mayers and Keiber Lamadrid all featured against Burton Albion in round four.
If you think I’m talking rubbish by naming this team vs Brentford – let me know why 👇
Alternatively, feel free to let me what (if anything) I've got spot on 😂
The fact that none were even on the bench for Greg Lincoln’s reserves in Derbyshire, then, certainly seems to point towards their involvement at the London Stadium.
Mohamadou Kante and Ezra Mayers could start for West Ham United v Brentford
Kante underwhelmed alongside Soungoutou Magassa at the Pirelli Stadium; Nuno Espirito Santo’s French connection struggling to really exert their influence against a third-tier Burton outfit.
The Hammers boss does appear to rate Kante very highly, though. The powerhouse midfielder was tasked with helping see out the invaluable midweek win at Fulham.
January signing Keiber Lamadrid showed some glimpses of talent at the Pirelli Stadium on his West Ham debut. Joe Cole singled out Ezra Mayers for praise, meanwhile; the 19-year-old one of the few who returned to East London with his reputation enhanced.
That none of the trio even appeared to travel up north to Derby – Josh Landers ended his 11-game Premier League 2 drought with a brace in an eventual 4-2 defeat – suggests that they were left out with that Brentford clash in mind.
Josh Ajala may miss out as Nuno Espirito Santo eyes FA Cup progress
After signing a new deal on Friday, in-form forward Josh Ajala admitted he hoped to play a part on Monday. He started against the Rams, though. As did Lewis Orford, the stylish midfielder setting up both of Landers’ goals.
What would you sacrifice for FA Cup GLORY?
Surely not your Premier League status…
While Premier League survival is obviously the priority, Nuno Espirito Santo is not taking the FA Cup lightly.
The likes of Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes may be handed a brief rest on Monday, but do not expect a team made up entirely of kids and fringe players.
“The cup is always a good competition for us. We love the cup,” Nuno said during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“Let’s focus on the cup; it’s really, really important. It’s at our home [the London Stadium], against a tough opponent, in a competition that we want to try and go through [to the quarter-finals].
“We love the competition. What we have to focus on is Monday night against Brentford. Let’s prepare so we don’t get beat.”
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