Luizao was registered with the PL and now David Moyes has no choice but to turn to Brazilian amid the West Ham injury crisis.
There was excitement around the capture with the 20-year-old centre-back on a free transfer from Sao Paulo in January.
Luizao is said to be highly rated in Brazil.
A slight dampener was put on Luizao’s arrival when West Ham confirmed the 6ft 2in young star was being signed initially for the club’s development team.
The hope – as with any player in the academy – is clearly that Luizao will progress and become part of the first team squad.
Well that may come sooner than Moyes or Luizao may have thought.
With Moyes selling Craig Dawson and now both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd out injured with – as yet – unknown return dates, the relegation-threatened Hammers are facing up to a very serious problem.
Moyes has admitted West Ham are ‘down to the bare bones’ with £173.5m worth of talent on the sidelines.
After the January window Premier League clubs are required to submit updated squad lists for the remainder of the campaign.
We can confirm Luizao was registered with the PL and now Moyes has no choice but to turn to Brazilian amid the West Ham injury crisis.
As confirmed on the Premier League website earlier this month, Luizao is on West Ham’s updated list for the rest of the season. He is registered under his full name Luiz Gustavo Oliveira Da Silva.
Now Moyes simply must elevate him to the first team squad – at the very least as a back-up to Thilo Kehrer, Angelo Ogbonna and Ben Johnson.
It is the only viable option. Imagine West Ham get an injury to Ogbonna, Johnson or Kehrer – who would play at the back?
It may not be the carefully planned development West Ham hoped for after just a handful of development side starts.
But sometimes players need to be thrown in at the deep end to see if they sink or swim.
And Luizao is certainly confident he can make the step up to West Ham’s first team.
Last month the Brazilian – who can play in a two or a three – told Moyes he is hungry to progress to the first team squad as soon as possible and laid out what he can bring to the side.
In a lengthy interview with West Ham’s official website, the left-footed former Sao Paulo star insisted he is desperate to earn a first team place while detailing his many attributes.
“I’m a centre-back, I think I’m quick and tall, physically imposing and I’m good at playing out from the back,” Luizao told whufc.com.
“I’d say I’m technical too… Being aggressive is important for a centre-back…
“This is the biggest opportunity I’ve had in my life so far. West Ham are one of the biggest teams in England and are known as a traditional club. This is my opportunity to earn the chance to play in the Premier League, and hit new heights in my life…
“Right now, my main ambition is to get into the first team and play games. But I have high aspirations. I want to achieve big things at the Club. I want to win trophies and I want to play in Europe – that’s my biggest dream! I hope I can do it with West Ham.”
Now he may well get his big chance sooner rather than later.
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