West Ham United Academy starlet Amadou Diallo was delighted to make his first Under-23s appearance of the season on Friday night – and grab his first goal.
The two-footed forward, who has mostly operated from the left in a Claret and Blue shirt, broke into the U23 team last season at just 15 years old, scoring twice in three appearances.
Having overcome injury at the start of this campaign, Diallo returned to Premier League 2 action on Friday evening, coming off the bench with a quarter of the game remaining against Norwich U23 before netting just ten minutes later to seal a 4-1 victory.
“It was good to be back out there on the pitch,” Diallo smiled afterwards. “Especially as part of a good win for the boys, they were great today.
“I just try my hardest to help the team to win. It was a good pass from Bernardo [Rosa], and I was there to score it – so I’m really happy to score the goal and for us to get the win.
“It’s brilliant being part of this team – they help me, I help them, and together we create a lot of chances for the team and get wins.”
The boys were class tonight, and they’ve been excellent in training as well every day. We’ve just got to keep going like this.
Amadou Diallo
Diallo’s introduction to the action came after 64 minutes, with the Hammers 3-1 up at Norwich’s Colney Training Ground through a goal from Anthony Scully and a brace by Dan Kemp.
The result maintains the young Hammers’ three-point cushion at the top of Premier League 2 Division 2, unbeaten with almost half their league fixtures now played.
Diallo has been impressed with his teammates’ victorious exploits so far this campaign, and hopes to play a further part in them moving forwards.
“Everyone has been playing really well in this team,” he said. “As you can see, we’ve been winning a lot of games.
“The boys were class tonight, and they’ve been excellent in training as well every day. We’ve just got to keep going like this.
“I think it’s possible for us to win the league – we’ve proven that with the way we’ve started. Now we’ve just got to maintain it.”
Diallo’s appearance and goal capped a memorable month for the 16-year-old, who scored on his international debut at Under-17 level a fortnight ago, netting for England U17s against Spain U17s in Murcia.
The youngster, however, hopes that his recent achievements are just a sign of things to come.
He said: “It was a really good experience representing England – it’s a high level to play at. If I just kick on over the season like that, I’ll keep progressing.
“Personally, I want to just keep playing. I’d love to become a star for West Ham. I just want to keep on going and keep improving.”
