Manchester City demolished Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup third round yesterday, with former West Ham academy graduate Divin Mubama scoring on his City debut.
Mubama, who joined Pep Guardiola’s side at the start of the season after failing to agree a contract with West Ham, delivered a performance that drew widespread praise. Whilst his goal was a straightforward tap-in, observers noted that he “bullied” the Salford defenders throughout the match.
The timing of Mubama’s debut and goal could not have been worse for West Ham, who are in desperate need of a striker. If Mubama were still at the club, he would almost certainly feature in Tuesday night’s Premier League game against Fulham.
The Hammers are currently without injury-prone Niclas Füllkrug, captain Jarrod Bowen, and Michail Antonio, who is out for the remainder of the season. Danny Ings appears to be West Ham’s only option in attack, but he struggled massively against Aston Villa and doesn’t look like an option.
While there’s little point lamenting Mubama’s departure, his success at City highlights how poorly West Ham have managed our academy graduates in recent years. However, there’s hope for improvement under new manager Graham Potter, who has praised Mark Noble’s work with the academy and recently handed Ollie Scarles a first-team opportunity.
Still, it’s a bitter pill to swallow to see our former young striker excelling for a Premier League rival at a time when West Ham could desperately use his talents
