West Ham’s bench exposes the cost of their injuries.
Reece Oxford, Stephen Hendrie, Josh Cullen and Djair Parfitt-Williams all started on the bench for West Ham here. None of these players were alive before 1995, with Oxford probably still in nappies as we all entered the 21st century. These players, as exciting as they may be as prospects, are not Premier League players, not yet. This, perhaps just as much as West Ham’s recent run of four draws, with one goal scored, exemplifies the severity of their injury glut. These youngsters must be excited about their bench-side seats at the big show, but, honestly, they’re doing little more than making up the matchday squad numbers. Unbeaten in four straight matches now, the crisis hasn’t quite had the devastating effect on West Ham’s league position as it might have, and that’s a credit to Bilic and his team. Once safety is assured mathematically, then these prospects might take to the pitch as something more than ersatz first team members. For now, though, their presence is a sign of their team’s desperation, not comfort.
PROFILE: Djair was born in Bermuda, raised in California and is a 19-year-old winger/forward #AVLWHU #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/jF1BHf4Ums
— West Ham United FC (@whufc_official) December 26, 2015
