Towards the end of the previous season, former manager David Moyes gave young talent George Earthy his first Premier League debut against Fulham. However, the 20-year-old was injured in the 2-0 defeat after coming as a second-half substitute and had to miss the following Chelsea match as well.
What next for George Earthy at West Ham after the loan move?
In the next home match against Luton Town, Earthy scored his first West Ham goal in the 3-1 comeback win, and the Hammers fans were expecting the promising playmaker to get more playing time in the first team next season. Although Earthy played a few pre-season matches under new manager Julen Lopetegui, West Ham decided to send Earthy on a season-long loan move to Championship side Bristol City to continue his progress as a regular starter in the Championship.
Playing for Bristol City, Earthy is yet to make his first start for the club despite making six substitute appearances so far. Earthy made his debut for Bristol City in their thrilling 4-3 win over Milwall and impressed the home fans with a good five-minute cameo.
Meanwhile, Earthy also started in the England U20 team's last-minute 2-1 over Italy U20, where another young West Ham, Kaelan Casey, featured in the starting lineup. Moreover, Earthy hasn't registered his first goal contribution for Bristol City, which poses the question of what is next for George Earthy at West Ham after his loan move to Bristol City.
Currently, Bristol City is eleventh in the Championship table with 16 points after 12 matches and is three points behind the Championship playoffs qualifying positions. In the next five matches, Liam Manning's side will face Burnley and Sheffield United, who are among the favorites to return to the Premier League next season.
Alongside them, Bristol City will play Watford and Norwich as well, who are also aiming for a qualification to the Championship playoffs, similar to Liam Manning's side. Hence, if George Earthy can score a few goals in these matches to help Bristol City in order to improve their league position, the 20-year-old could become a regular starter for them towards the second half of the ongoing season.
If that is the case, Earthy can get a lot of playing time at West Ham next season due to the fact that star forwards such as Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus could leave the Hammers in the next summer transfer window. But if Earthy couldn't find regular playing time at Bristol City throughout this season, Julen Lopetegui's side could consider sending Earthy to another loan move next season, where he gets more opportunities to improve his playmaking and goalscoring form next season.
Now, it remains to be seen what the future holds for one of West Ham's most promising young talents in the upcoming seasons.