Was West Ham’s Martin Samuelsen over-hyped or does he just need time?

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The West Ham United midfielder has fallen off the radar after initially impressing.

When West Ham United initially signed Martin Samuelsen it looked like the Hammers had pulled off a masterstroke, but things have not exactly gone according to plan for the young Norwegian in the time that followed.

After some impressive showings for West Ham in their pre-season preparations of 2015, where the teenager showed his passing range and composure on the ball, he quickly found himself making do with under-23 football before a loan spell at Peterborough United started to demonstrate what all the fuss was about.

Samuelsen’s balance, confidence and innate talent shone during that initial spell and he was expected to make a name for himself back at the Hammers soon after.

That did not happen, and a disappointing return to Posh, along with a doomed temporary stint at Blackburn Rovers, set Samuelsen back at exactly the time when he should have been pushing for a Hammers’ debut.

This season he is back with West Ham’s under-23 side, but two years since his arrival he seems no closer to that allusive senior chance.

Now 20, Samuelsen needs to prove his worth over the current campaign or risk failing to make the breakthrough many felt was only a matter of time.

West Ham have some of the best young players in the country on their books, yet manager Slaven Bilic has been reluctant to test them unless he absolutely has to.

Samuelsen is just one to suffer as a consequence, with Reece Oxford currently warming the bench at Borussia Monchengladbach, Toni Martinez making light work of second string football and the youngest of the lot, Domingos Quina, edging ever closer to his first start.