I’ll admit it — I was one of those excited to see what young West Ham United midfielder Mohamadou Kanté could produce against Burton Albion.
After all, the French youngster has been something of a colossus in West Ham’s Under-21 side this season, earning rave reviews while also making his first-team debut and becoming a regular feature on Nuno Espírito Santo’s substitutes’ bench.
So when Saturday’s FA Cup tie came around, it felt like the perfect opportunity for Kanté to show he was ready to step up.
Kante struggled to make any impact despite toiling away
Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it played out.
Now let me be clear: Kanté remains a hugely talented young player, and I fully expect him to have a bright future. But in terms of taking his chance against lower-league opposition, the truth is he didn’t.
And in football, when one player doesn’t seize their moment, someone else usually does.
Orford Grabs the Opportunity
That someone was Lewis Orford.
Kanté started alongside Soungoutou Magassa, and neither really impressed in the first half. After the break, Magassa gradually grew into the game and began to show his qualities.
Kanté, however, struggled to replicate the ball-carrying authority he’s displayed so often at Under-21 level.
Then Orford arrived from the bench — and in his brief spell during extra time, he offered more than Kanté had managed as a starter.
The England Under-18 captain showed maturity well beyond his years. He reads the game intelligently, has a good range of passing, and an excellent awareness of space. It wasn’t a barnstorming cameo — especially for a player who barely featured during his loan spell at Stevenage FC — but there was enough on show to make a point.
Enough to suggest that the next time Nuno looks to promote a midfielder from the youth ranks, it may well be Orford rather than Kanté who gets the nod.
Sometimes opportunities are small.
But Orford took his.
It reminds us that just because a player is doing exceptionally well at the U21 level really does not mean he is ready for the 1st team, the step up is truly massive, we should be careful when suggesting or in some cases demanding the manger put them in, all it does is set the player up for a fall. Try and remember that for the future!
it just proves that u21 football isn’t any good for player development if they want to move on in the game.
that was league 1 level, which is where these players should be developing at 19-20 years old , playing in a competitive environment where the games mean something.
then move onto championship the following year.
u21 has little jeopardy and is just another tier of youth football.
hopefully they get further chances to move up..
In one short statement you contradicted yourself.
U21s is there to develop players from a broad range of levels, in recent times players as young as U15s/16s which is a massive step up both in terms of coaching/speed/match day experience so it has its place.
What we do poorly as a club is finding a pathway for the most talented but we seem to be getting better under Nuno in terms of early signs.
Those that aren’t good enough should be getting experience in Div 1 and Championship to then be sold.
Man City have made over £500m from selling youth players in the past 5-6 years. Here’s the kicker though Dave, they reinvest.
Back to Sully, all roads lead back to Sully. Tarmac the carpark and move the toilets indoors at Chadwell and he badges that as ‘millions invested into youth development’ and the receipts go missing.
I thought it was a good experience for Kante, yes he found it difficult but then you learn more in such circumstances. If he had played a blinder you wouldn’t go overboard in your praise, so why be over critical on a players’ full debut?
A difficult pitch on which to display ball carrying qualities and probably not the right calibre of opposition. Got to get the minutes and variations when they can. Everyone better for the experience.
Well judged again though Gonzo.