Mohamadou Kante was not the only rising French starlet who featured in West Ham United’s 5-1 EFL Trophy thrashing of MK Dons on Tuesday night.
While ex-Paris FC starlet Kante earned rave reviews once again – two-goal Preston Fearon was thankful for his teammate’s ‘perfect’ cross having already converted from a tidy George Earthy lay-off – that Buckinghamshire brutalisation also marked the beginning of Dimitri Colau’s West Ham United career.
Defender Colau introduced himself to the Hammers faithful at the start of September.
He signed a four-year deal at the Premier League outfit having risen through the ranks at ambitious Ligue 1 newcomers alongside the aforementioned Kante.
And, stepping off the bench with the game already wrapped up at Stadium MK, those hardy travelling supporters were treated with an early view of the former France Under-16 international in action.
Dimitri Colau makes West Ham United U21 debut against MK Dons
While Kante and Daniel Cummings were handed numbers 55 and 53 respectively after arriving in East London from Paris FC and Celtic respectively, Colau entered the fray with 37 on his back on Tuesday night.
Colau, who can play at centre-half or at right-back, will be hoping to come a lot closer than Nathan Holland and now-Burnley captain Josh Cullen did to becoming a first-team regular in claret and blue later down the line. Holland and Cullen are previous wearers of that number 37 shirt.
“Mo [Kante] and I have been teammates throughout our time with the Paris FC Academy,” Colau, who could replace Junior Robinson as the first-choice right-back for Mark Robson’s U21s after his loan move to Livingston, told the club’s official website.
“He spoke to me about the club before I arrived. He spoke very highly of how he’d been welcomed in, the facilities and that the sessions have been really good, of really high quality. I’m really excited to be here and can’t wait to get started.
“I’m a full-back, but during my formative years I played as a centre-back. For the last two seasons though, I’ve played full-back. I’d say I’m more defensive than offensive, but I can also push forward.
“If I had to describe myself as a player, I’d say I’m a fighter. I always give it my all. I’m ready to do whatever it takes to help my teammates. We’re here to win.”
Colau was described as a ‘great French hope’ by France Antilles back in 2021. He is also a graduate of the fabled Clairefontaine academy, hoping to follow in the famous footsteps of Thierry Henry, Kylian Mbappe, Nicolas Anelka, Olivier Giroud, William Gallas, and Blaise Matuidi.
Mark Robson delighted with Callum Marshall and Freddie Potts performance
On a night when Lukasz Fabianski marked his return to West Ham, Preston Fearon and Callum Marshall scored two goals apiece with an MK Dons own goal sandwiched in between.
Robson, meanwhile, was delighted to see the likes of George Earthy and Freddie Potts stake their claim for a first-team role with ‘excellent’ performances of their own.
“The lads were really on it tonight. We played some excellent football and I thought we looked a really good outfit,” Robson said after the Hammers got off to a flying start in the EFL Trophy. “It was great to have a couple of the older lads back in and getting some valuable game time.
“Freddie, George, Callum, they were all excellent.
“Callum’s work ethic is second to none,” Robson adds of the former Huddersfield Town loanee. “He just never stops working. And I said to the boys at the end, that’s exactly what hard work gives you.”
“You look at the likes of Call, George [Earthy] and Regan [Clayton, the full-back who spent last season at Dagenham and Redbridge] a couple of years down the line, after loan experiences in the Championship and League One, you can really see their qualities now.
“They did it properly tonight. They worked for the team and showed how much they’ve grown.
“In general, we clicked. We gelled. Some of our goals were top drawer and the football throughout was really pleasing. Overall, I thought it was an excellent performance.”
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