Praise for Graham Potter has been in very short supply during a run of four defeats in five Premier League matches, but Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has sympathy for the West Ham boss’ handling of the Freddie Potts situation.
Ahead of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace – three home London derbies this season, three home London derby defeats – Graham Potter insisted that he would not bow to pressure as the clamour for Freddie Potts’ involvement ramped up.
Despite an excellent pre-season – captain Jarrod Bowen tipped Potts to be the breakout star of 2025/26 – the 20-year-old midfielder has featured only once so far. And that substitute appearance came when West Ham United were already 3-1 down to Chelsea with little to lose.
Despite James Ward-Prowse and Guido Rodriguez enduring a miserable start and despite the suspension which ruled Tomas Soucek out against Palace, Potts was nowhere to be seen as jeers rained down upon Potter last weekend.
Yet, if there is one man willing to stand up in support of a man hanging onto his job by the very cuticles of his fingernails, it’s Wayne Rooney.
Wayne Rooney understands Graham Potter’s Freddie Potts dilemma at West Ham United
A Manchester United legend who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson for nearly a decade at Old Trafford, Rooney has come to know a thing or two about the risks and the rewards of promoting the next generation.
And he feels that, with West Ham home matches becoming more of an ordeal than a privilege these days for those in claret and blue, Potter is right to shield a 20-year-old Potts from such an unforgiving glare.
“When you’re struggling, it is very difficult to play the young players,” Rooney tells BBC Sport. “If they’re good enough and head and shoulders above, then of course you play them. But sometimes you can kill them if you throw them into a struggling team.
“It doesn’t help them with their careers and, before you know it, they’re in a really bad position. There’s no hiding place when you’re playing in the Premier League, and there’s a lot of pressure from fans.
“If a player doesn’t have a good game, then all of sudden he’s getting abused on social media and what’s his mental state like?
“If you’re a winning team, no problem. Throw them in – that’s when you see young players thrive. But you have to be a little bit more careful with teams who are struggling.”
Potter explains lack of game time for Potts and Mohamadou Kante
In Potts’ defence, the Barking-born midfielder does appear to have the personality to cope with such expectations. And, as a boyhood fan, the former Portsmouth loanee would likely be given a much longer leash than most, if not all, of his teammates.
Speaking ahead of that Crystal Palace defeat, Graham Potter praised Freddie Potts’ development but warned of the need for patience.
Potter is wary of putting pressure on Mohamadou Kante too, another of the club’s best Under-20 talents, though Callum Marshall is another West Ham fans want to see more of following a run of three goals in two games over the last week.
“Freddie has had a really positive journey so far with the academy, with the loans,” Potter said on Thursday. “It’s his first season back with us, in terms of the first-team. In pre-season, he did well. We know his qualities. He has to work hard with the team, the players, for this opportunity.
“The Premier League is a competitive league. So of course we want to integrate players. l look at my previous record, [giving youth a chance] is something I am very proud of. But you have to do it at the right time for the club, the team, and the individual.
“Freddie has done well and we will continue to work with him. That’s where he’s at,” adds the manager. “That is the challenge of the Premier League, the level is going up and up and up.
“It’s important for us, that’s why we have a close relationship with Mark [Robson]. We’ve just moved Gerrard [Prenderville, the Under-21s assistant coach] across to bridge the gap, to help us from a coaching perspective.
“The things are in place but we’ve got a team, a Premier League game to fight for. You’ve got to grow everything at the same time.”
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