West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini is backing some of the club’s academy products to make it into the first team in the not too distant future.

The Chilean has been criticised for not blooding youngsters during his spell in charge at the Hammers, but when asked whether he sees promise coming through the ranks at his pre-match press conference yesterday, the Irons boss named four players:

“Maybe we will see what happens in the future but there is him [Holland], Conor Coventry, Grady Diangana and Josh Cullen that are at different clubs, I am absolutely sure all four of them will be the future of West Ham.”

Josh Cullen is currently on loan at Charlton and with his contract expiring in the summer, it’s not certain that the midfielder will be at the club beyond the end of the season.

Grady Diangana has been excelling following his temporary switch to West Brom, having scored four goals and provided three assists in 12 appearances for the Baggies so far.

Connor Coventry was given his senior debut by Pellegrini and has made two appearances for the first team, including the 2-0 win over Newport County in the Carabao Cup, while Nathan Holland continues to impress for the Under 23s.