Has Slaven Bilic made a big mistake by not including Toni Martinez for Brighton clash?

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West Ham will take on Brighton and Hove Albion, but Slaven Bilic has not included Toni Martinez in the squad.

Slaven Bilic has left a section of West Ham fans furious after he revealed in his press conference that young striker Toni Martinez will not feature against Brighton and Hove Albion.

West Ham will miss Andy Carroll through suspension after he was sent-off against Burnley last week. Diafra Sakho has been ruled out due a back problem, and Javier Hernandez felt a tight hamstring.

Although Bilic is confident that Hernandez will take part, his decision to exclude Martinez from the squad completely is a baffling decision.

Martinez has been in sensational form for West Ham’s under-23 side, and has been scoring with great frequency.

It was the perfect opportunity for Bilic to groom a young striker from the club’s academy. At least, he could have included him in the match-day squad, and used him from the bench if needed.

It would have boosted his confidence to a great extent. But by saying that “we have good options”, Bilic is giving a wrong message to a young in-form player who is looking to break through from academy levels.

West Ham could utilise Michail Antonio or Marko Arnautovic up-front, in case Hernandez fails to recover fully. As it stands, the youngster will have to wait for his chances.