Valuable minutes for West Ham winger Edvin Austbø without really massively impressing on international duty for Norway Under-21s. The Hammers youngster started on the left of Norway’s attack and played 70 minutes of their 1-1 draw with Israel tonight.
Austbø was substituted shortly before Israel opened the scoring from the penalty spot and finished the game without a goal or assist. Nevertheless, another substantial run-out means he returns to West Ham with minutes in his legs ahead of Friday night’s Championship clash with QPR.
I guess the Hammers should be grateful for small mercies, though. It would appear that West Ham’s players have returned from international duty without picking up any knocks, even if Manor Solomon’s workload and back problem have been a concern ahead of the return to domestic action.
Austbø now has to impress Nuno
No doubt most of us expected a little bit more than one assist from Austbø during his time away with the Norwegian Under-21s.
That assist came during Norway’s 6-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, when Austbø played 85 minutes as his country secured qualification for the European Championship.
His final international appearance was another substantial run-out and, most importantly for West Ham, he appears to have returned unscathed.
The Norwegian FA confirms Norway’s Under-21 fixtures and qualification campaign, which has provided Austbø with plenty of football during the break.
Had he impressed, I’d have given serious consideration to starting Austbø against QPR. He’s young, apparently fit and needs to be given an opportunity to press his claim, particularly given the concerns surrounding Solomon.
But if he’s looking to force his way into Nuno Espírito Santo’s plans on Friday, I guess he’ll now have to do it during the limited training sessions between now and the game.