Nathan Holland currently faces a difficult route to first team minutes at West Ham, with Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals ahead of him in attacking midfield.
While this of course makes things more difficult for him, it means the 21-year-old has a brilliant opportunity to learn during pre-season.
It is unknown as of yet whether or not Holland will be loaned out for the season to get first-team experience, but it is expected that he will be with the Hammers for the start of pre-season at least.
That means the youngster will be training alongside two time Spanish international Fornals and Lanzini, who has now represented Argentina four times.
These are two players with brilliant experience – especially when it is considered Fornals is still only 23-years-old – so Holland should definitely pick their brains as much as possible, while also making the most of the chance to monitor how they operate up close on the pitch.
Holland is an extremely exciting talent, arguably one of the best in West Ham’s academy, so making the most of opportunities like this can help him reach the level required to get in and amongst the squad on match days.
He has already made a first-team appearance, having come on for the final 28 minutes of a 3-0 Carabao Cup win against Bolton Wanderers – he hasn’t yet made another appearance, despite making the bench four times since.
The 21-year-old has also scored a historic goal at London Stadium, as he produced a wonderful curling effort to become the first ever West Ham U23 player to score at the stadium.
There is a lot of excitement around Holland, with many fans hopeful he will eventually be able to step into the first team fold.
As is the case with many youngsters around the country, pre-season acts as a brilliant opportunity for Holland to get himself into the manager’s thinking – though, perhaps just as importantly, it gives him a chance to learn from the more experienced players around him.
