West Ham United have a great young striker on their books so why aren’t they using him?
Teenage footballers often see their reputations built on fan talk and second string outings, with only the best ultimately living up to the hype.
Marcus Rashford did not even have that before he burst onto the scene for Manchester United last season, bypassing the under-21s altogether to go straight from the under-18s to the first-team.
Fans of other clubs will be desperate to find a Rashford of their own, and when it comes to West Ham United they may just have one in the form of Toni Martinez.
The 19-year-old Spaniard arrived at the Hammers from Valencia last season and he quickly impressed all who have seen him play.
This season Martinez already has scored seven goals for West Ham’s under-23s and it is surely only a matter of time before he is given a place in the first-team squad.
The Hammers’ ongoing participation in the EFL Cup could give manager Slaven Bilic the perfect opportunity to blood the youngster, and some fans are crying out for that, feeling that Martinez would offer more goal threat than the experienced forwards struggling to find the net in the Premier League.
Rashford was a risk that proved to be a master stroke, and with Martinez dazzling at under-23 level he is a chance Bilic would be wise to take.
After all, he cannot be any worse than Simone Zaza!
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