Toni Martinez came on as a substitute during West Ham United’s pre-season friendly with Preston North End.
Toni Martinez took to Twitter to express his delight at being back in the West Ham fold after featuring in the Hammers’ pre-season friendly with Preston North End on Saturday.
Martinez has been considered one of the more exciting prospects coming through at the London Stadium ever since his arrival from Valencia in 2016. However, he struggled to break into David Moyes’ plans and headed out on loan in January.
But unfortunately for the Spaniard, his spell with Real Valladolid failed to ignite. And with West Ham showing an enormous amount of ambition in the transfer market, the 21-year-old may have feared what kind of situation he would have found himself in upon his return to England this summer.
But Manuel Pellegrini seems to be open to handing him a chance in the side during pre-season. He played the final 15 minutes at Deepdale as the Premier League side drew 2-2 with Alex Neil’s men, with Marko Arnautovic scoring both of the Irons’ goals.
Martinez did not manage to make much of an impact while he was on the pitch, but West Ham fans may be hoping that his cameo leads to more chances before the new season gets underway.
And after the game, the forward took to social media to comment on the fact that he is now back in the fold, expressing his delight to be back playing for West Ham after a difficult year.
Here is what Martinez tweeted after the draw with the Championship side…
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