It would be fair to say that West Ham forward Evan Ferguson has had an underwhelming start to life at the London Stadium.

Much was expected of the Irishman following his loan move from Brighton in January, but he has only played 92 minutes across five games for the Hammers so far. However, Ferguson did score on international duty last week, and he vowed to take that form back to his club. Speaking about the player, head coach Graham Potter defended him, claiming the criticism that he has been subjected to from some quarters is “unfair”:

“It was always going to be a patient one with him, but going away, a different environment, a different team, just to get some minutes to play and score, it’s great for a forward”

“He’s been good in training, and yeah, he’s come back in a good place. He’s always been ready to help the team and settled in well with the group. From our perspective, that (criticism) is unfair to be honest. You have to see the context of where he was in terms of the minutes he’s played previously and how he was on his return from injury.”

“We got him at the really early stages of the return-to-play stage, so to think you can just walk into a Premier League team and hit the ground running and play, that is difficult, but he’s come on, he’’s helped us and the last four matches we’ve picked up seven points. He’s been part of the team and group in that respect, so we’re happy with him. I think he is enjoying his time here, settled in well and is ready to help.”

Ferguson was hoping to kickstart his career at West Ham

The main reason why the 20-year-old made the move to London was to get more minutes, but he hasn’t been able to get on the pitch as often as he would have liked.

Considering that Ferguson was being linked with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal not that long ago, it is clear that he is currently going through a very difficult time in his career.

The striker now has more competition for a starting spot

With Potter having also confirmed that Niclas Fullkrug is back to full fitness following a hamstring injury, Ferguson has it all to do to win a place in the Irons’ starting lineup.

Even prior to Fullkrug’s return, Potter was selecting Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus as a front two so Ferguson certainly has his work cut out.

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