Young David Moyes favourite Jamal Baptiste looks set to move up the pecking order at West Ham and had the backing of Angelo Ogbonna.
Ogbonna had forged one of the best Premier League centre back partnerships around with new £29 million signing Kurt Zouma.
But the Italian, who is one of West Ham’s big leaders on the pitch and in the dressing room, faces a long spell – possibly even the season – on the sidelines.
Moyes has Craig Dawson and Issa Diop in reserve.
And the West Ham duo had been performing well in the Europa League and Carabao Cup – although both looked shaky in a 2-2 draw at Genk.
Dawson looks most likely to step into the side in place of Ogbonna when the Premier League resumes in a couple of weeks.
So Moyes now looks set to boost highly rated young star Jamal Baptiste up the pecking order.
Baptiste signed a long-term pro deal with the Hammers last year and shone for West Ham in pre-season. He scored his first senior goal – albeit in a non-competitive setting – when he met Jarrod Bowen’s corner with a controlled volley against Dundee.
He has seriously impressed West Ham fans.
“I have 17-year-old centre-half Jamal (Baptiste) who I want involved in the first-team training but undoubtedly I am going to try and add to the squad,” Moyes said before signing Zouma.
Moyes will be hoping West Ham can get a positive result at Rapid Wien to seal their place as Group H winner and advance to the last 16 of the Europa League later this month.
If they can do that with a game to spare then Baptiste – who turns 18 on Thursday – could well get a chance to shine in the last game of the group at home to Dinamo Zagreb.
The youngster, who has been compared to Rio Ferdinand, will certainly now become a firm fixture in the squad as fourth choice centre-back.
And he has the backing of Ogbonna himself – the man he will likely be replacing in the West Ham squad.
Speaking last season, Oggy absolutely raved about Baptiste after playing alongside him in a friendly win at Wycombe.
And the injured star backed him for the top.
“He (Baptiste) played really, really well and as a young player you can make one or two mistakes, but your behaviour has to be the right one, like Dec (Declan Rice) when he (first) start(ed),” Ogbonna told the club’s official website at the time.
“Jamal has a lot of work still to do but he is composed. He is still young and has to take things step by step.
“This was just a pre-season game. He has to follow the senior players and the manager’s instruction and it’s good for him to have people he can look to.
“Having senior players around like myself, the captain (Mark Noble) and Dave (Martin) in goal can help by giving him advice and this is really, really good.”
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