West Ham United fans will be excited after it emerged promising young striker Mipo Odubeko could play in the FA Cup today after all.
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Supporters had been looking forward to seeing more of Odubeko when West Ham take on Doncaster in the cup on Saturday afternoon.
The 19-year-old former Manchester United starlet made his first team debut with a brief cameo for the Hammers in the 1-0 win over Stockport County in the last round.
West Ham fans desperate to see more of young hotshot Odubeko
Odubeko was set to feature again in the fourth round of the FA Cup as Moyes tries to limit the load on key striker Michail Antonio.
But his name was absent from West Ham’s squad when they beat West Brom 2-1 on Tuesday night.
And it transpired Odubeko was self-isolating after a positive Covid test.
That looked certain to rule him out of the cup clash.
But there could be a twist after Moyes told the press ahead of the game he may yet be available after returning a negative result.
Excitement for West Ham fans as new negative Covid test could yet rule Mipo in
“He had a positive test, but the difference is he has come back and now had a negative test,” Moyes told the Irish Independent.
“So we are a little bit in the dark and we are waiting on the doctor to tell us what is correct.
“But he has missed the best part of a week’s training so that is where we are at with Mipo at the moment.”
A lack of training means it highly unlikely Odubeko will start IF he is involved.
Youngster’s availability off the bench would be a big boost as Moyes must be careful with star man Michail
But Hammers fans will be delighted if the pacy and powerful teenager makes the bench.
Should Odubeko not be cleared to play, Moyes will likely persist with Antonio up top.
The Scot will undoubtedly look to replace him if West Ham get themselves into a comfortable lead, most likely with Andriy Yarmolenko.
West Ham have another quick turnaround as they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night.
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