West Ham is opening the door for young Nathan Holland
One of the more impressive preseason performances so far has been the young West Ham winger. The Hammers have left the door open, and he’s taking advantage of it.
Ever since joining West Ham in 2017 from Everton, Nathan Holland has been a name that was filled with hype and promise. Since 2017, Holland has featured six times for the senior team and scored once during an FA Cup match. You wouldn’t say that his time in East London has been an easy one, as it has been filled with injuries and setbacks alike. However, he has stayed the course.
From the time he arrived at the club until now, West Ham has added a handful of players with the exact style of Holland and given them time ahead of him. The majority of those players have either since gone or never worked out. Holland, however, stayed and kept fighting and taking his stride one day at a time.
Holland got a huge run-out last week during the Hammers opening preseason match, and it came with praise from a pretty knowledgeable source. Jarrod Bowen spoke with the club after the match and had this to say about the youngster:
"“You look at Nathan Holland in the first half and he was really bright and lively, and that’s been a feature all week of the younger lads who have been given the opportunity to come here with us.”"
West Ham is opening the door for young Nathan Holland
West Ham United
Bowen said it perfectly, as Holland was all over Dundee FC during his time on the pitch. He especially looked good on the attack, crossing with ease and flying up and down the pitch. West Ham doubled down their preseason matchups on Tuesday, and Holland was all over it again.
In a lovely affair, Holland linked up well with Bowen and Manuel Lanzini in the Hammers 1-2 victory over the Cobblers. Holland looked sharp out wide, crossing the ball and beating his man on more than one occasion. He looks the real deal so far and could easily make the bench if needed.
With Felipe Anderson going back to Lazio, that now leaves a spot open. West Ham will likely look to fill it with a transfer in, but if they don’t, Holland is more than capable of taking off where Anderson left it. He can play down the right and left wings and would be a perfect fit for cup matches and the occasional late match sub in the EPL.
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As long as he can stay healthy, his time seems to have come, and David Moyes could certainly use him. If the aforementioned doesn’t happen, and the Hammers lack the depth needed, he can be the perfect transition moving forward. This is the perfect example of buying your time and then making it count when the time has come.