It is safe to assume neither Keiber Lamadrid nor Mohamadou Kante made the impressions they were hoping to as West Ham United needed Crysencio Summerville to fire them past Burton Albion in the FA Cup fourth round.
Lamadrid and Kante both made first Hammers starts in Staffordshire.
The young duo may go on and enjoy long, successful careers in the claret and blue of West Ham United, but this was a very humble beginning.
Kante and Soungoutou Magassa were more mice than monsters in the centre of the park, Burton playing keep ball for sustained spells against a side two divisions higher up in the footballing pyramid.
Summerville peerless at the Pirelli!
Tell us what you thought of a nervy FA Cup win
The January signing from Venezuela at least produced a couple of mazy dribbles – Lamadrid’s potential has ‘no ceiling’ and he left one Brewers defender for dead with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nutmeg – but, unsurprisingly, the difference between a 22-year-old brand new to English football and the seasoned Summerville was night and day.
It was from the same left-hand flank that the ‘almost unstoppable’ Summerville broke Burton’s resistance five minutes into extra time.
Nuno Espirito Santo happy to give Mohamadou Kante and Keiber Lamadrid a chance at West Ham United
Speaking to TNT Sports after West Ham secured a spot in the fifth round for the first time since 2023 – while also avoiding a third successive defeat against League One opposition – Nuno Espirito Santo indicated that more chances will be forthcoming for Kante and Lamadrid.
Ezra Mayers, too.
Former Upton Park favourite Joe Cole singled out teenage defender Mayers at full-time. One of very few in claret and blue who really played to his full potential.
“The most important thing is that [the youngsters] had the chance to play, get minutes in the legs, and get rhythm,” said Nuno. “This is important because, moving forward, we are going to need them all.”
Nuno pleased with the way his players dealt with Burton Albion’s set-pieces
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Kante did not live up to the hype – the ex-Paris FC kid has been likened to Patrick Vieira on more than one occasion – but he could have a few more first-team minutes on the way.
Fellow midfielder Freddie Potts was sent off for a ‘rash tackle’ in added time. He will miss the next three Premier League matches, against Bournemouth, Liverpool and Fulham.
“This is the FA Cup. We knew what to expect,” Nuno added; an underwhelming win yes but also a fifth in seven games in all competitions.
“The way Burton play the game, with energy, creating problems in the box. In attack, we had some chances, but we knew it was going to be tough. We are really, really pleased to come through [the game].
“We knew that Burton would come strong. Every throw-in, every set-piece is a [situation] that requires maximum attention. The boys did well containing that aspect.”
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